How to Decorate

We continue on Day 3 of Houston Week with a conversation with Texas native and art advisor Illa Gaunt. Illa holds several degrees and has over fifteen years of experience in the art world in both galleries and major auction houses. She has developed a following on Instagram for her fascinating mini art history lessons, which is how we found her! Illa’s goal is to help people not be intimidated by art and curating a personal collection. We talk about how and where to buy art, putting a contemporary spin on family portraits, inspiring art in children, and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs about dust jackets on books, a black cat on a white sofa, spring planting projects, and some funny decorating videos on designer Kevin Isbell’s Instagram.
• More about Illa’s art history lessons on Instagram.
• How Illa got into her field.
• How does Illa know when art is “right” for her client?
• Should we think of art as an investment when we buy it?
• How does an emerging artist really catch Illa’s eye?
• How to reframe and modernize family portraits.
• What Illa says to people who think they can do contemporary art themselves.
• What are some general guidelines to have for an art budget?
• Tips for where to buy art and how to get a checklist from a gallery.
• How is Illa instilling a love for art in children?
• Does Illa save all of her children’s artwork?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Illa Gaunt Art

Illa Gaunt Instagram

Artsy

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Today we continue to Day 2 of Houston Week with our guest Sherrell Neal. Sherell’s work has been featured in Houston Chronicle, Modern Luxury Interiors Texas, and more. In 2019, she won a Ruby Award from the American Society of Interior Designers. Sherrell specializes in creating timeless spaces by incorporating classic elements and antiques with a modern approach. We talk about how her love of design came from an early age and her attention to detail, craftsmanship, and functionality creates a unique and thoughtful look for her clients.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Sherrell’s thoughtful and lasting approach to design.
• How Sherrell caught the bug early for design while working on remodels with her contractor father.
• The importance of proper design and thinking of all the details—big and small.
• Do fabric shades and wood finishes need to match in a room?
• Embracing the imperfections and wear-and-tear of antiques.
• Pattern mixing and rule-breaking in Sherrell’s work, particularly in the River Oaks house project.
• How Sherrell recommends using and designing built-ins.
• When is it appropriate to use a valence on drapery?
• How Sherrell was able to add leather chairs to a room while keeping it light and airy.

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Ashley,

I think rugs have a magical way of defining a space. If you don’t already have a large rug (5’x7’ or 6’x9’) that you can put in front of the door that goes beyond the entry to define it, I would get one. The entryway can always involve consoles, mirrors, artwork, and lighting. If you have a console, a round or rectangular mirror would be nice. Then on either side of the console, you could add buffet lamps — or one nice colored ceramic lamp balanced with some fresh flowers, a stack of books or other elements.

In terms of the living room layout, I would probably not float the sofa and instead move it back against the window. If you had any other chairs you could mirror the sofa. Sofa on the left, keep your fireplace in the center, and chairs on the right, and maybe some lower items like ottomans can float around in the middle. If there is no room to do that idea, you could add floor lamps on each side of the sofa. I definitely think the room needs more lighting. I’m not sure of the dimensions, but you could always use the Ballard Room Planner to map it out. I would probably move the shelving unit completely to the door wall along with the basket you have next to it. You could put some art above the basket or take it out completely and put an ottoman or leave a place for shoes. I would rearrange the shelves, so they aren’t all full, add some pretty elements, and adjust the books so some of them are horizontal. The console I would move to the wall where the etagere bookshelf is—just swap them!

Lastly, if you are able to make the sofa fit against the windows, definitely get a neutral rug that defines that space that is separate from the entryway rug. With the entryway rug, you can definitely have a lot more fun with color and personality.

Good luck, Ashley!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Sherrell Design Studio

Sherrell on Instagram

Ballard Design Room Planner

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It’s Houston Week! We are kicking it off with Houston-based designer Marie Flanigan. Marie is an award-winning interior designer and the author of The Beauty of Home. Her work has also been featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, ELLE décor, Vogue, Southern Living, Traditional Home, and she also recently had a role on HGTV’s internationally broadcast series Property Brothers: Brother vs. Brother. We talk about Marie’s love of texture, fireplaces, breaking conventions, and the importance of how a space makes you feel.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Marie transitioned from her career in architecture to design.
• Molding or no molding?
• Marie’s love of using fireplaces as the focal point.
• How to decide on a focal point in a room.
• How lighting changes and affects design.
• Marie’s guidelines for mixing materials, particularly wood.
• Creating a flex space in the home using sliding doors.
• All about a growing topic: home offices.
• How Marie uses sconces.
• A bedroom in the Telluride project.
• How Marie likes to use sculptures and “found objects” as art.
• What is so thrilling about tension in design?

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Caryn,

The first thing I would do is come up with a way to make the dining room feel special. Add drapery, paneling throughout the room, and I definitely think it’s important to case the entry. One thing that casing does for rooms is it allows you to start and stop a wall finish. Then I would take a look at the architecture of the space to see if first I could recess the mud function into the wall and then be able to close it off with doors. That way when you are using the dining room, you could shut off the mess that accumulates in mudrooms. If that’s not possible, I would definitely go with the paneling idea and let the mudroom cabinets be an extension of that paneling so that it follows the same detail of molding on the cabinets. Just make sure you have doors in that area so you can “hide the mess”. You could perhaps lacquer the room or choose a fun color to paint all of the woodwork so that way the garage door just disappears, or you could even have the paneling go across the doors to hide it. Another thought is if you don’t use the dining room often, you could restyle the dining room table so it’s more of a round entryway table and you relocate the chairs to somewhere else while they aren’t in use. If you really want to embrace this as a more casual room, you could even do a built-in banquette under the windows and change from a round table to a square or rectangular table that would allow it to be pushed towards the corner more. Then you could use that bar cabinet for storage. A large area rug could also help to feel the space larger.

Good luck, Caryn!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Marie Flanigan Interiors

Marie Flanigan on Instagram

The Beauty of Home

Forbes & Lomax

Lutron Switches

Bocci Outlets

Telluride Project

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Today our guest is Dallas designer Jean Liu. Her full-service interior design firm, Jean Liu Designs, specializes in high-end residential and commercial projects. In 2018 Jean was named one of House Beautiful’s 10 Next Wave Designers. Her work has also been featured in Traditional Home, Town & Country, Architectural Digest, Luxe, The Wallstreet Journal, and many others. We talk about Jean’s love for bold art, how to create a “Zen” kitchen, Jean’s great house with a great room, and much more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How to start enjoying art in your space.
• What is an art trainer?
• Jean’s unconventional path to a career in design.
• How Jean created a Zen kitchen.
• What Jean recommends for designing with kids in mind.
• Jean used to stalk her current house from afar…and one day she finally got it!
• What was Jean’s process for designing her own home?
• Designing a great room with different functions.
• Strategies for reusing furniture when moving to a new space.
• What motivates people to take on a brand-new style?
• How to make warm spaces in rooms that aren’t inherently cozy.

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Laura,

Yes, definitely take the symmetry into account and we have three recommendations for you. First, is to consider adding a linear fixture over your island that runs the length of the island. This will help detract the eye from the lack of symmetry and the true center of the room. Another option, given your husband’s height, would be to use a flush mount or semi flush mount throughout the kitchen. We love the Greta fixture! Finally, the last option we suggest is using gooseneck sconces over your window to let the lighting be handled through recessed cans throughout. What direction your windows are facing and the natural light you get may influence your choice. We usually recommend with any kitchen remodel that you strongly consider adding LED under cabinet lighting. You could also add some small lamps or tiny accents to your surfaces. We are all big fans of having dimmers for all lighting, as well!

One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll never really be looking at the room straight-on, so it won’t be as noticeable as you may be worrying about. It’s great that you’re keeping it in mind, but don’t let it trip you up too much!

Good luck, Laura!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Jean Liu Design

Jean Liu Design on Instagram

Jean’s Personal Home

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Our guest today is New York-based architect and interior designer Barry Goralnick. His firm customizes projects to include everything from early planning stages in building to interior design, to product design — check out their impressive collections! Barry’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, ELLE décor, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and he is also a featured designer in Rizzoli’s new best-selling book Interior Design Master Class – 100 Lessons from America’s Finest Designers on the Art of Decoration, among many, many other accolades. We discuss how Barry’s background in fine art & literature influenced his varied style, decorating for small and big spaces, his tips for getting back to basics, and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Why Barry is an architect and an interior designer.
• How would Barry describe his style?
• What Barry’s recommendations are for decorating built-ins.
• More on the State Street project in Brooklyn with built-ins, wood finishes, and an upright piano.
• Barry’s take on open floor plans; especially during the post COVID era.
• How to pack a lot into a small space while keeping it functional yet glamorous.
• Barry’s tips on what to do when getting stuck in the design process.
• Decorating Dilemma about how to modernize a cabin in the Smoky Mountains.

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Christine,

One thing I would remove is the stone around the peninsula in the kitchen; it looks inauthentic to me. If you extended the top, you could create a place for barstools. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but if you’re considering changing the cabinets at all perhaps you could turn the peninsula into an island. There are even some great freestanding kitchen islands available.

I like the idea of painting the cabinets and painting the walls. It will help break up the monolithic theme. I would not paint the cabinets and the wall behind the fireplace the same color. I would choose a light color for that wall and maybe even pull from the stone. Also, even if you just paint the wall behind the hearth it will not only bring some contrast, but it will make the space feel taller. If you want to keep some of the wood, you could maybe sand it down and do a clear or light finish to lighten it up a bit, so you keep that rustic mountain feel.

I know you didn’t ask me, but the drapes need to go! I would either do some shades or floor lengths. Regarding the banquette, I wouldn’t do a built-in one, but I like the idea of a long bench. If this is a vacation home, you want to be as flexible as possible and be able to shift things around. I am not a huge fan of the black railings since they are kind of heavy; even if they were light grey with a wood rail on top it would lighten it up. In terms of overall decorating, we think you should choose some stylish, well-scaled furniture and don’t go kitschy with it. If you leave even half of the wood in there, you don’t need anything else that nods to the Smoky Mountains. And don’t get furniture in the same color wood! We definitely recommend adding some upholstery and softness to the space. If it’s a rental space, we highly suggest performance fabric!

We are excited for you. Do we get a free weekend to stay there now?! Send us the photos…and the listing!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Barry Goralnick

Barry Goralnick on Instagram

Goralnick Architecture and Design on Facebook

State Street Project

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Today’s guest is Dallas-based interior designer and business coach Traci Connell. Traci’s work has been featured in Traditional Home, Luxe Magazine, and many more. Traci is known for her signature method, “Ease of Glamour”, where she aims to create homes that are easy to design, easy to live in, and overall practical. She tells us what it means to make a home “bulletproof”, how she implements technology in her process, her advice for emerging designers, and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs about dust jackets on books, a black cat on a white sofa, spring planting projects, and some funny decorating videos on designer Kevin Isbell’s Instagram.
• What Traci means by “bulletproof” homes and the evolution of performance fabrics.
• What is on the horizon for performance design?
• When is it okay to choose something more delicate in design?
• How Traci uses technology to improve clients’ ease of living.
• What Traci does to make large, open homes feel cozier.
• How to divide a space with drapery.
• When to use something classic vs. when to push boundaries.
• How Traci designed a house for a client that wanted no accessories.
• Why renovation is more challenging than new construction.
• What elements does Traci find make a home more joyful?
• Tips from Traci for aspiring and emerging designers.

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Courtney,

The biggest hiccup here is that it’s a long, narrow space. My initial thought is to flip the areas and put the TV over the fireplace. Then a sofa right in front on the wall in front of the fireplace. There is no room for a coffee table, but you could put two storage ottomans on either side of the sofa in a matching or coordinating fabric. Then you could roll those over when you’re watching TV and almost create a modular-type sectional. At the door where there is a bookshelf of shoes, I think you could use some vertical storage. You could definitely put a little rug right there, too. On the other side of the room where there is a door opening, you could flank two matching storage bookcases and you could store the toys there. That far side of the room is great for a play area. We think toy storage should not be in the entryway but rather where the playing happens…unless they are outside toys! You could also put two swivel chairs there that could be moved around.

For the windows, I would add some panels in white oak or seagrass. For the window coverings, I would add Roman shades to all of the windows to match what you already have. If you do move the TV to the rock wall, I would add a light fixture that’s tight to the ceiling but sprawls out. Since you like the blue, you could paint the ceiling a light grey-blue in a satin or flat finish. You could even match the color inside the built-ins. If you really do entertain in this room, you could also add a mobile bar cart. The modular approach to the room will definitely give you more flexibility.

For the dining room area with that “awkward space”, I would take out the white shelves in those curved niches. Then maybe wallpaper back in there and/or do floating shelves so it doesn’t go wall-to-wall. You can change the hardware and leave the bottom, but I love the curve. In the middle, if you can, take it all out. A nice and airy art light with a beautiful piece of large art would be lovely. The buffet can then be on the other wall for more storage. And then move a light over there, as well.

Where that hole in the floor is where the hearth was, hopefully, you can patch it with wood because it doesn’t seem like you really want a fireplace. A little bit of construction there, but not too much.

Well, there you go, Courtney! Those are your marching orders! Good luck!

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Eden Brothers (Atlanta)
• Kevin Isbell Instagram
• Traci Connell Interiors
• Traci Connell Business Coach
• Traci Connell Instagram
• Traci’s Online Design

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Our guests today are a husband-and-wife team, Britt and Damian Zunino, of the Manhattan based architecture and interiors firm Studio DB. Their work has been featured in Luxe Magazine, Architectural Digest, The New York Times, ELLE Decor, and many others. We talk about their love of creative spaces, how New York has influenced their style, and how they aim to create a space that is beautiful but also livable, their collaboration process, and more. Their work exudes a swankiness that we really love, so be sure to check out their portfolio!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Britt would describe their style.
• Discussing the curvilinear elements, features, materials, color palette and other customization they chose for The Symon project.
• More about Britt and Damian’s unique country home outside of the city.
• Britt’s tips for making bold choices start with choosing a color palette.
• Designing around the unique pipes in the TriBeCa Franklin Street Loft.
• How to design when you have very high ceilings.
• Why you should invest more in lighting, especially with kids at home.
• What is Britt and Damian’s collaboration process?
• Where does the color palette in their projects come from?
• How they design custom cabinetry with creative detailing.
• Tips & Tricks for designing kid’s rooms and small spaces.

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Malorie,

We love the idea of bringing in the pink, but with the color palette that you have we need to bring something to tie it in. The first option would be to incorporate a fun wallpaper on the ceiling that had some of these colors to bring it all together. Maybe something in pink with a micropattern. We thought maybe it would be nice to add two more swivel chairs that had a pretty back so you can see that right when you walk in but also be able to turn them around to watch television. We have even done something where we have upholstered the back of the chair in a different fabric that is a little more playful and the seat is more durable. Rather than having all of the furniture on the outside of the room, the swivel chairs will help pull it in and engage that space. Another option if you didn’t want to go the wallpaper route is to paint the ceiling a little bit of a softer green than what’s on the walls so it feels like a more uniform envelope of color. We love the idea of a stripe on the rug. Also, something in a pretty neutral, like a seagrass rug, would be nice. Then you could even layer on top of it with a more colorful or patterned rug to anchor the seating space. That one can be much smaller and cozier, and the bottom rug would stretch more towards the walls. To touch on the blue chair, the shape is really interesting but since you have so many lighter colors in the room you could reupholster this one to fit better with the room. It would be nice to even add a little footstool or side table.

We also want to say that you’ve done a really good job! We love the custom sofa, the sofa table, the lamps, the sconces, the bench seat. It’s a great space and you’re really onto something that you just need something to tie it together. Good luck and send us the after photos!

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Studio DB
• Studio DB on Instagram
• The Symon

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Our guest today is San Antonio-based interior designer, Alison Giese, who recently relocated from Northern Virginia. Her work has been featured in Rue Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Home, and more. Alison’s signature style is to give the homes she designs character and soul, while still keeping it minimal and elegant. Be sure to follow her on Instagram and check out her Monday Mood Boards every week! We love them and so will you.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs! Taryn welcomed baby Miles! Ordering blinds, the Cat Lawyer, carpeting the basement, and finding a perfect workspace in the home.
• Alison’s career began in sales before she pivoted to design.
• How her time in Brazil influenced Alison’s style.
• Redefining what neutral colors are and Alison’s selection process.
• Cabinetry and hardware trends and preferences.
• How Alison uses “restraint” and minimalism in her design.
• Breathing life into a space with greenery.
• How many towels to display in bathrooms.
• When and where to use small lamps.

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Beth,

We agree that most of the upholstery does feel a little big for this space. For a sofa, I think you could try a sectional with a chaise at the end. You would have to measure the room and map it out first either with a scale drawing or using painter’s tape on the floor. Caroline personally loves the Hartwell sofa for this space, especially in front of a window because it has a pretty low back. It’s also really comfortable without being too deep. And it comes in leather, too! If you do go with a leather sofa, you could try an upholstered ottoman to soften it up. Whatever you go with, just make sure you pay attention to the height and the length of the arms; try to keep it more compact so it doesn’t look as bulky. Depending on if you want the big lounging sofa or not, you could also add additional seating—maybe even some vintage chairs since they have a smaller footprint.

I love the large chair in the corner; it kind of looks like a reading nook with the lamp next to it. Potentially the other chair in the other corner does feel oversized so that could be an opportunity for a smaller chair or even a little café table. So many people are having to carve out even the tiniest spaces for homeschool or home office, so if you don’t have that this could be that place.

We love your built-ins. You could easily make those a fun color and utilize some of that storage for kid stuff. The carpet is great too!

For the TV stand, your current media stand looks a little too deep so you could give yourself more walkway space if you got a stand that is smaller. Like we mentioned in another episode, an IR repeater is a clever way to help you tuck away your electronics.

Lastly, we think you could add some more lamps or even hire an electrician and put some sconces in.

Thank you for sending in your question, Beth! Good luck and send us some photos!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Alison Giese Interiors

Alison Giese Interiors on Instagram

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We are thrilled to welcome back our guest today Andrew Cogar who is an architect and president of the award-winning firm Historical Concepts. We discuss his new book, Visions of Home: Timeless Design, Modern Sensibility, collaboration, the narrative of a house, a closer look at a historic Charleston single house, designing around honesty, the concept of the creative process, and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs! Karen’s lingering Christmas issues, the Wilcox mirror, adorable doormats, our love of Etsy, Taryn’s old bricks, where to store the extra toilet paper, and Caroline’s new dishwasher.
• What are some examples of “sparks of joy” as it relates to architecture?
• Why collaboration is a fun puzzle.
• What is the concept of a “house narrative”?
• Recent shifts around the open floor plan.
• Considering the guest experience and privacy in a house.
• Reinterpreting the historic Charleston single house featured in Andrew’s book.
• The importance of designing even the small spaces.
• Why it’s imperative to be honest with your design team about how you want to live.
• What Andrew studied and learned while in London.
• The concept of creative process; emphasis on two separate words.

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Olivia,

The biggest challenge is that this is a pass-through room and it’s hard to get around this square layout. My advice is going to come more from an architectural standpoint than interior design. First, I would suggest putting up a wall. Most people think of this as an impossible task, but it’s not! It’s actually some of the cheapest and simplest construction to do as long as it doesn’t involve any electrical or plumbing. Assuming the fireplace is a gas insert, I would close up that space above the couch and I would put the fireplace on that wall. Incorporate it in a complete wall of bookcases and built-ins and have the TV worked into the bookcase more to the right. You could get a big reading chair and ottoman to be able to take advantage of the fireplace. I would then shift the cased opening and put that where the fireplace was (assuming those are closets and not a powder room) and move the opening there. That way you can have a 3-sided enclosure at the West side of the room. You can put a couch or sectional where the TV currently is, so it really takes advantage of the natural daylight coming in from the sunroom. This really creates two zones; one is a sitting and reading zone and the other one is more of a living room. Being able to see this from the front entryway will really bring it in with the rest of the house. You can spend just as much money and time trying to solve this room, but I think making these inexpensive and simple changes will really unlock so much potential in the space. Hopefully, this is helpful and works out! – Andrew

With regards to the rug, we think you should try to find the biggest rug you can find for the space. Usually anywhere from 3inches to a foot of space around the edges works well. It will really help ground and center the room in a good way.

Good luck, Olivia!

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Etsy
• Historical Concepts
• Historical Concepts on Instagram
• Andrew Cogar on Instagram
• The Charleston single house
• Visions of Home: Timeless Design, Modern Sensibility

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Today’s guest is Boston-based interior designer, Lindsay Atapattu, of LEB Interiors. Her spaces incorporate traditional elements in a clean, edited way. We talk about her love of traditional and where it meets modern, which elements are making a comeback, which elements are trending, designing with kids in mind, using color and chintz, and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs! Updates on Taryn’s house and waiting for the baby to arrive, a new bed and sofa from Ballard, empty nesting, innovative ways to hide cords and devices using an IR repeater, and missing curtains.
• How Boston and Lindsay’s family background has affected her style.
• How Lindsay decorates areas that are not considered “beautiful”.
• Lindsay recommends decorating in layers and buying quality items that will last, but also looking for budget items.
• Where should families with kids splurge, and save, their dollars?
• Which traditional style elements are coming back?
• Decorating for kids’ rooms.
• What elements are trending?

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Jamie,

The first thing I want you to do is get in there and paint the walls. I always say paint it white if it’s a big room; you can always change it. Get two of the same rugs; one for the dining space and one for the living space. They can be different sizes, or really different designs if you want, but keep it cohesive.

Next, let’s talk pendants; I would definitely pare from 4 pendants down to 2 or 3. Go for larger pendants and use painter’s tape to mark where you might want to place them. In terms of the lamps behind the sofa, that’s tough. You really have to have the outlets in the ground instead of coming out of the wall; especially with kids running around. Depending on the positioning you could have cords go under the rugs and plug into a wall if it’s close enough. The best thing to do would be to have an electrician come and if you have a basement, see if they can run a cord and drill up. If you’re having one come in to quote the pendants, you might as well get a quote for that too. Otherwise, I would say forego the lamps behind the sofa and add one on an end table closest to the outlet or even a floor lamp.

Now the sofas; I think if you have a basement for the kids to go to that’s a perfect place for slipcovers. The space in the photo I think is a little more formal so I wouldn’t do the slipcover unless you’re going for more of a farmhouse look. Just be sure, to be honest with yourself about how often you’ll take the slipcover off; because it’s a pain! Ballard and others make really great performance fabrics these days, so I would opt for using that on a more formal piece in this room… especially if you have another place for the kids to hang out.

Finally, we would all like to see you add some fabric or texture to add softness to your seating so it’s not all wooden (i.e. the stools and the dining room chairs). You have a good base here. Good luck, Jamie!

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Schwartz House on Instagram

Brie Channel Bed

Ballard Pleated Lampshades

Bissell Spot and Stain Cleaner

LEB Interiors

LEB Interiors on Instagram

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On the show today we have father and daughter design duo Barry and Amanda Lantz of Lantz Collective in Carmel, Indiana. We talk about Barry's art collection, why art is the perfect starting place for color, their new fabric collection with Kravet, and how their aesthetics differ.

What You'll Hear on the Show:

• The unique paths they both took to interior design
• Why color is the perfect starting place for your home's palette
• How to use color and contrast to create drama in your room
• Why it's important to struggle in the design process (or any creative process)
• Symmetry and asymmetry and why your room needs a little of both
• How their new fabric collection came about

Show Notes:

• Farrow & Ball's Sulking Room Pink
• Follow Me Art
• Brie Channel Bed
• Suzanne Kasler Mathes Sofa
• Barry's Serena Fabric

Find all of the show notes at howtodecorate.com/podcast.

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Today’s guest is acclaimed interior designer and photographer Matthew Patrick Smyth. He has been on ELLE Décor’s “A” List, his work has been featured in House Beautiful, Traditional Home, New York Magazine and more. He also wrote a new book “Through a Designer’s Eye: A Focus on Interiors”. We talk about his polished yet comfortable spaces, his love of artisanal pieces and antiques, his attention to detail and light, and some touching personal stories.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs about feeling at home in a temporary rental, a pregnancy announcement (!), COVID within the family, tearing down and rebuilding a house, a nightmare new build next door, considering new drapery, and dishwasher woes.
• Matthew explains how his process begins — starting with the floorplan.
• Where Matthew finds his artisanal pieces and what he loves about them.
• Matthew’s love of antiques led him to interior design and carries into all elements of his style.
• How Matthew’s experience as a photographer impacts his design.
• The ways Matthew was able to decorate a casual seaside home and still use antiques.
• Why Matthew has an affinity for round dining tables and what chairs he recommends.
• More about Matthew’s personal home and falling in love with it.
• Matthew uses upholstery to modernize an older house with all antique interiors.
• Matthew’s love of black(ish) paint.
• What Matthew does to individualize the work for his clients.
• Matthew shares about his work and friendship with Gloria Vanderbilt.
• How is a designer’s eye different from the average person’s?

Decorating Dilemma 

Hi Jenny,

First of all, thank you for including the floorplan—so helpful! This is a very generous width for a dining room so the sideboard is not going to throw off the room; there’s still plenty of room and no flow problem whatsoever. It’s not a floor to ceiling piece, so your eye will go right over it. I would put a big mirror over the sideboard to reflect the windows and the beautiful view. That will really open up the room. It’s really important to keep that chandelier centered with the windows so I would not touch that. The table centered in the room is the way to go. It’s good that you’re thinking about it now…but don’t overthink it! It’s actually a nicely designed floor plan and well proportioned; I wouldn’t play with that. You’re in good shape, Jenny!

• Matthew

Mentioned in This Episode:

Matthew Patrick Smyth

Matthew Patrick Smyth on Instagram

Through a Designer’s Eye: A Focus on Interiors on Amazon

Zillow Gone Wild on Instagram

The Schwartz House on Instagram

Chicology Roller Blinds

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Welcome back to Part 2 of “Picking Paint Colors” with interior designer Fran Keenan. If you missed Part 1, take a listen to episode 178. Today we talk all about exterior paint colors as well as a word we used a lot in Part 1—nuance! We also cover more of your FAQ’s all about paint including at what point in the design process to decide upon your paint color, how to make sure your bold wall doesn’t look cheap, and some expert tips in choosing specific paint brands and colors.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Why picking an exterior paint color is a much bigger decision than interior
• Should you paint brick?
• How to choose front door colors
• Tips for choosing specific paint brands and colors
• What Fran loves about Farrow & Ball paints
• Fran breaks down her favorites within paint decks in several different brands
• Why paint should be the very last thing in your design
• What should trim color for white walls be?
• Can the front and back of interior doors be painted different colors?
• Should outlet covers be painted the same or different color?
• How to make sure a bold wall color doesn’t look cheap and/or depressing?
• What is Samplize?
• Paint ideas for coffered ceilings
• If you are doing DIY, should you use a roller, a brush or a spray?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Fran Keenan Design

Fran Keenan on Instagram

Ep 178 Part 1

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More than any other topic, we're constantly getting questions about paint -- how to pick it the right one? What are the best colors? Which finish to use? We're answering all of your questions with today's guest, interior designer Fran Keenan. We're big fans of Fran's work, and she was a guest on episode 83. She's always picking bold, saturated color in her design work, so we thought she'd be the perfect designer to chat with us about one of the trickiest elements of design, paint. In Part 1 of this two part series, we're talking about picking colors.

What You'll Hear on This Episode:

• We talk about why paint she be the last thing you choose in a room
• Questions you should ask before you pick paint colors like, what is the narrative?
• Paint is the easiest thing to change
• Light is a huge factor in how your paint and your furnishings will appear in your room
• Picking paint when you have a new build
• Testing samples, how many to test and where to test them
• Why paint should be the answer to questions about the tempo and vibe of your room
• What it means for a paint to have 'age'
• Should all of your paint colors across your house look good together?
• We'll cover more paint FAQs and more in next week's episode
• We talk a lot about 'nuance' and what that means in paint

Show Notes:

• Fran Keenan Design
• Ep. 83 with Fran Keenan

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Our guest today has been in the antique business for over 30 years. Debbie Mathews owns Nashville-based antique shop, Debbie Mathews Antiques and Design, and also created an interior design portion of the business in 2012. We talk all about Debbie’s love of antiques, why people shouldn’t be afraid to purchase them, and the best pieces to look for. Plus, Debbie weighs in on some Decorating Dilemmas about accent walls and mixing silver and gold!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Debbie got started in antiques and design in childhood and how it evolved.
• Why Debbie thinks people shouldn’t be “afraid” of antiques and how every room should have one.
• Tips for falling in love again with pieces you’ve had for a long time.
• Why Debbie is always on the hunt for a writing desk both for her shop and her clients.
• Debbie’s love of a Louis Philippe chest and mirrors.
• Which professionals to look for when restoring antiques.
• How to know when to leave an antique “as is”.
• Tips for feeling comfortable when buying an antique.
• Online sites for purchasing antiques.
• One of Debbie’s biggest goals is to make antiques more approachable.

Decorating Dilemma(s)

Hi Sheryl,

First, I love accent walls! Nothing can quite transform a space like paint. Your focal point wall with the fireplace has too many different paint colors, and I definitely think you should paint the whole wall and cubbies one color. Leave the fireplace and the mantle as they are. I think it will make it more impactful and also more cohesive. This will also highlight that beautiful Oriental rug you’ve inherited. We all agree that we like the warm brown accent color so use that for the whole wall.

We can’t wait to see it!

Jamie,

Absolutely I think you can mix this china with gold. One of the reasons I say this is because many of us, including myself, have china with a gold rim and we’re using silverware! Also, so many of the kitchens we are designing now have stainless steel appliances, but I’ll still use brass hardware and plumbing fixtures. I actually really like mixing metals, but I don’t like going beyond 2 metals. I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules in creating a tablescape, and I like mixing silver and gold. I think of it as creating a painting. When you have a white plate, you could start with a colorful tablecloth or placemat and think of the other layers as accents that work with your “painting”. I’m also okay with mixing patterns. I’m personally a big fan, especially as we struggle for normalcy in 2020, of using a family heirloom in my tablescape. You can also search for older pieces in antique shops or garage sales. Karen says go ahead and stick a salad plate in your bag and carry it around with you so you can layer it up with what you find and see how it looks and feels. She also thinks you can add some more gold accent pieces like these gold partridge salt and pepper shakers!

Thank you, Jamie!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Debbie Mathews Website

Debbie Mathews on Instagram

Debbie Mathews Antiques on Instagram

Debbie Mathews on Chairish

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Our guest this week, Beth Kushnick, has decorated sets from some of your favorite films and TV shows including The Good Wife, Jumanji, and Anchorman 2 just to name a few. She joins the show to share what exactly a Set Decorator does, and how she started as an art lover in New York to compose visuals for the top sets in the entertainment industry. Beth also geeks out with us about lighting, picking the perfect colors, and her biggest pet peeve in set decoration. Beth also is the host of the podcast, Decorating the Set: From Hollywood To Your Home.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• The difference between decorating for a TV series versus in movies.
• How Beth started in theater with design and painting and got led to set design for movies and television.
• Why you should be on the lookout for the little “easter eggs” in movies and TV, a clever gift from the crew!
• How Beth designs perfectly for each character and makes the sets seem realistic to their personality.
• Why you won’t see black drywall screws anywhere near one of Beth’s sets!
• Artwork is so important to the set, and Beth explains how she finds appropriately themed artwork for each production.
• Beth explains the decisions on picking a color to make the actors look good and bring out their best features.
• The nuance of paint and why natural colors are so classic.
• Beth gets super jazzed about lighting and shares what she uses to honor the set design by using practicals for lighting.

Decorating Dilemma

Thank you so much for writing in! So, we think you have more space than you think you do. Beth agrees with you that the entry-way can turn into a small cabinet, and you could possibly move it back to create more storage space. This would then help you dress the window behind the cabinet, lending to you to some interesting color options. In this circumstance, the tape measurer will be your best friend, especially when it comes to depth. We would go as big as possible which could be your buffet, and you can add lamps and candles for some great lighting options. A funky chair facing the sofa to ground the sofa would be great.

Mentioned in This Episode:

@BethKushnick

Decorating the Set from Hollywood to Your Home

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Our guest today is known as the queen of print. Cath Kidston has a background in interior design and styling and started the brand, Cath Kidston, known for their vintage inspired prints and homewares. In 2017, Cath stepped down to start Joy of Print; a creative design studio that specializes in designing prints for interior design and fashion. She is also the author of A Place Called Home. We talk about joining the new and the old, the sentimental with the modern, and finding calm in color and patterns.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• While growing up in England, Cath started designing at an early age, studied fashion and design, then opened her own shop which grew into the Cath Kidston brand.
• Cath’s book reflects how all of us should think when moving into a new home, mixing some sentimental with modern elements.
• Cath’s goal in her home is to make it feel warm and relaxed; she loves using plants and flowers.
• How Cath is able to make strong colors work together without feeling too chaotic.
• Cath’s husband was a client; so, she eventually had to live in the bachelor pad she had designed!
• Moving is hard in terms of holding onto, letting go of, and finding new ways to use things we love.
• Why Cath is particularly fond of wallpaper and what here favorite types are.
• Cath doesn’t like clutter, so she finds ways to make small touches and “collections” in rooms.
• Cath has been finding hidden treasures at swap meets for years.
• The unique bathroom’s, and bathtubs, in Cath’s home.
• Procrastination can be a big, and expensive, mistake in design.
• How Cath was able to have a working, modern kitchen in such an old home.
• Plan for storage! It’s so important especially if you want to play with patterns and colors.

Decorating Dilemma

Jordan,

I’ll start with the easier end; the desk should go on the far end away from the fireplace. I really like it in the middle of the room. Then while you’re working you could look towards the fireplace or even have someone sit opposite of you. Maybe under each of those windows you could build out window seats and put bookcases underneath the seats. For your father’s mirror, what about that area of the wall opposite that little niche? Just before you get to the dining room. If it’s a tight squeeze, you could even rotate and have it as a long mirror. A low table and a lamp would look really nice below it, as well. It would really open up the room when you first walk in. The couch could go on the wall to the right of the front door as you walk in. The couch could be L-shaped, but a short L. Or a section couch with a little foot stool. Put the TV over the fireplace. I wouldn’t do a rug in the middle but rather two rugs: one on the office end and then one on the fireplace end of the room. Behind the couch would also be a really nice place to hang some pictures and make it feel cozy. On the office side of things, you could have a big plant or a floor lamp or something that will make it less cluttered. Wall color will depend on what color the couch and the rugs are. Lastly, you could have a really cool feature chair in the corner in that gap near the fireplace.

Take a look at the floorplan I’ve drawn up and be sure to send your pictures along!

- Cath

Mentioned in This Episode:

Joy of Print on Instagram

Joy of Print

A Place Called Home

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Today’s episode features the multi-talented Alyssa Rosenheck. Alyssa is a renowned interior and architectural photographer, stylist, a cancer survivor, a lifestyle expert, and best-selling author of The New Southern Style. Alyssa shares her inspiring background and life pivots, and she encourages us all to tap into our creativity; whatever that means for us.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Alyssa’s story; including growing up as one of the only Jewish families in OK, life pivots, cancer, and staying YES to herself.
• Alyssa left high stress corporate jobs and started helping build small businesses about 7 years ago.
• What is “The New Southern” movement and where was Alyssa when she came up with it?
• Alyssa describes what her new book The New Southern Style is; not just a picture book!
• Why rituals are so important and what some of our favorites are.
• What “living in the light” means to Alyssa.
• Alyssa shares some tips on how to counteract burnout with creativity.
• The different ways you can define “creativity”.
• Alyssa’s process for writing, and photographing, her book.
• How Alyssa does the job of two people both styling and photographing her shoots.
• Why you should be flowering your home with Israeli Ruscus.
• How Alyssa picked the people she would feature in her book.
• Alyssa’s book inspires and nurtures the idea that you can make a living being a creative.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Alyssa Rosenheck

Alyssa Rosenheck on Instagram

The New Southern Style

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Cindy,

I think this is a really great open space. I would love for it to all be one color and be light, bright, open and airy to reflect all the windows in the house. We all agree that statement walls need to be very intentional and think white walls with white trim in a different sheen will work wonders. I think this will be the biggest bang for your buck then you can bring in in textures and layered accessories within the same tonal family. Use art for pops of color. You can really change the meaning of this room by bringing the furniture in closer to the fireplace. Adding another chair and maybe a little card table would be good because this is a great room for people to gather. Add some more lamps with the plants on that table behind that long sofa, as well.

I do like the bar area, but I almost want to see those top cabinets gone and do shelving above it instead. The important thing is to make this room more intimate.

- Alyssa

The first thing I think you need to do is check out Lauren Liess; a designer in Washington, DC that specializes in this style house and uses an earthy, 7os color palette in a really modern way. The second thing is I think you really need to invest in your art collection. You have a lot of blank walls and I wouldn’t buy (or even make) anything under 40”. It doesn’t need to be expensive! I know you have a lot of windows, but 2-3 pieces above the TV, flanking the windows, above the bar or above the dresser could be great places. Think outside the box! I also with giant ceilings like this you could get some great, large light fixtures. I personally don’t hate the wood trim; you could try the wood trim but you’d need a professional help you out. We’re not sure about painting the brick around fireplace; start with painting the room one color first.

Good luck, Cindy! We really like this room and its architecture and can’t wait to see what you do with it.

- Caroline

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Our guest this week is the founder of Los Angeles-based design firm JDP Interiors, Joyce Downing Pickens. She is the primary designer, and her work has been featured in the LA Times, Elle Décor, domino, and many more. We talk about her effortless design which features a California style mixed with a rustic English cottage look. Joyce gives us tips on bookcases and built-in stylings and other ways to make your space unique.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs about over power washing a deck, hurricane debris, packing for a move and 4 days without power.
• Joyce has a varied style that is often a meld of her aesthetic mixed with her clients’ desires.
• How Joyce describes the California style; laid back, rustic textures, linens, etc.
• Joyce leans towards using a cream or a richer white rather than pure white to add depth.
• Joyce has a quirky loft in her home that she managed to turn into a cozy lounge/sleeping space.
• Ways to make a builder's home seem unique like trims, furniture and collectibles.
• Styling bookcases and built-ins are difficult but so important; Joyce shares some tips.
• What design changes Joyce has made, or wants to make, during the pandemic.
• The go-tos Joyce likes to use on projects (plants!) and when she entertains.
• When to use sconces vs. a table lamp.
• Joyce had a project in San Francisco with huge windows and few walls; how she designed for this.
• Finding a designer as you’re house shopping, or building, will save a lot of headaches.
• How Joyce was able to design with intention (and velvet) in another space with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Joyce Downing Pickens on Instagram

JDP Interiors

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Susan,

The long skinny room is hard! The best thing you can do is what you’ve almost already done; break it up into two or three places. There is a lot going on, so try to think of those designated spaces and what you’d really like to achieve. Think of that center point as a place to have an entry center console table or an area with a daybed by the fireplace (see some examples from Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus). You could also use a bigger sofa in here; maybe on the left side that wraps in front of the window. Walking out of the kitchen area into two chairs could help break that up, but I understand wanting to be able to look out the window…this is not an easy room! Window treatments on the far left could really help warm up the room and finish it; think about them as the eyebrows to the room! I would do Roman shades on the double hung windows and either skip one on the sliding door or put a drape. Window treatments will overall give some height to this room. A standing tree or lamp could also help with height. I wouldn’t do a custom area rug for the whole room; use three rugs, that sort of tie together, to designate the different areas. Some vintage Turkish rugs that pair well together, but aren’t the same, I think would look great.

We all agree that there are too many seating arrangements; you should really try for one big, focal seating arrangement. Maybe an L-shaped sofa with a chair; you could break up the “blockiness” by finding a chair with legs. Then you can have the chaise lounge in front of the fireplace. Then another seating area in the space you walk right out of. I even think you could make that a substantial dining area right by the kitchen instead of pushing the table into the corner; when you have guests over you can look out onto the water. The room is a little too piece-y now; I like to mix two different types of furniture but never more than that.

One other thing you might want to consider is a floating desk; either where the table is now or in the kitchen nook. Both ways you can look out onto the sea.

-Joyce

The Ballard Design Room Planner would be really helpful here! It’s a beautiful room! Please send us some photos and then invite us over for that wine!

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This week our guest is Los Angeles-based interior designer Stefani Stein. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Conde Nast House & Garden, Elle Decor, HGTV, House Beautiful, House & Home, and more. She was also named one of California Home + Design's 'Rising Stars' and has recently launched luxury wallpaper brand, August Abode. We talk about Stefani’s relaxed yet refined style, how California lifestyle affects her design, her love for an earthy palette and embracing imperfections.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials & Triumphs about eroding light fixtures, basement updates, lighting trials and triumphs, budget solutions on flooring, storing gift wrap, falling branches, broken fountains, plants, bushes and trees…oh my!
• Regardless of the style, Stefani doesn't like clutter. She appreciates the negative space; as in having mindful or selective emptiness and leaving breathing room around items.
• Stefani took a risk and left her first, successful career to go to school for design.
• How to make rooms feel light & airy; mix traditional, clean lines and vintage, choose lighter fabrics, and avoid high gloss finishes.
• Stefani is influenced by the wabi-sabi philosophy; appreciating beauty that is imperfect and incomplete.
• How to work multiple wood finishes into a room; pay attention to the tones.
• Some tips and tricks on how to care for brass.
• Why Stefani prefers an earthly palette for its lasting power.
• A Cape Cod glam project where Stefani brought in elements she hadn’t ever used along with some cozy elements.
• How to compromise when one member of a couple has a very different vision than the other.
• Designing for the bungalow means packing function and beauty into a small space. It’s all about understanding the client’s lifestyle.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Stefani Stein

Stefani Stein on Instagram

August Abode

August Abode on Instagram

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Caroline,

From what I understand, the back countertop would stay but the island would change. What I would do to give this a more current feel is I would actually hone that back countertop. It would help the 90s granite feel more like a soapstone. I absolutely think you can have a different material on the island. I personally like a calacatta paonazzo because it’s a mostly white-beige background with warm veining. The cabinets are quite a bit of wood; my inclination is to keep the uppers wood and paint the lowers. The uppers should probably be bleached to be more modern, as well. Or you could paint all of it and do darker lowers and lighter uppers. I don’t think white cabinets are the way to go in this kitchen. If you want to keep them light, maybe do ivory. For the backsplash, I would go with a zellige. It has the imperfections in there and feels more current, plus it would go well with everything. I would maybe change the cabinet hardware to a matte black or an oil rubbed bronze. For the range; I agree with the one you chose. I like the simple, clean-lined hood. The part where it has wood on the bottom, you may even be able to use the remnants of your marble slab and tie it in here. When it comes to the pendant lights, you could get away with doing only two that are larger in scale. My personal preference would be a round table, but the oval still works if that’s your preference. I wouldn’t move the light from where it is, but you could swag it so that it’s centered over the table. Just use a chain instead of a chord as we think it looks better. What you have there now feels too light so I would recommend something heavier like the Remington. For the bar stools, we have a lot of suggestions like the Dayna, Allister, Dorchester, Adrian and Southport, but it’s hard to say for sure without knowing the paint color you choose for the lower cabinets. Make this decision last after you make all of the other choices. We think your instincts are spot on about what you should change.

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Our guest this episode is NYC-based architect Damian Samora. Damian studied at the University of Notre Dame and began his career in London before moving to New York and joining the esteemed architectural firm, Ferguson & Shamamian. Ferguson & Shamamian is on the AD100 and has been featured in all of the top design magazines. Damian has designed everything from rustic mountain retreats to historic apartment buildings to large family homes. We discuss why Damian and his firm always work in tandem with an interior designer, the challenges of working within the confines of NYC apartment structures, what to look for when hiring an architect and more.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Ferguson & Shamamian have a deep-rooted philosophy in designing spaces with interior design at the forefront.
• NYC apartments are often limited in their structural changes. How Damian and his team confront those challenges to achieve the client’s vision.
• How Damian works with an interior designer to face challenges like finding sources of light even in tiny apartment hallways and combining two apartments into one.
• Familiarity is often how people choose their “warm” or comfort in their homes.
• While being at home more, people are more activity-focused. Things like pools, homework rooms, dual offices, etc., are becoming more popular. So are doors and walls!
• After living in London, Damian’s design was influenced by parts of the English style like respect for context and uniqueness.
• How furniture structure can evoke a feeling and affect a mood.
• Why soundproofing and hiring an acoustician can be so important to the function of your home yet is often overlooked.
• Damian’s tips on where to spend and save; depending on if it’s your forever home.
• When looking to hire an architect, Damian recommends finding the firm whose work you like then trusting their referral to the individual architect. It should also be treated as any other relationship.
• Damian gets most excited when clients want to design around their art collection.
• Are people still doing screens on their windows? Yes, but Damian recommends being selective and not placing screens on every window.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ferguson & Shamamian

#FergusonShamamian on Instagram

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Kate,

It’s going to be helpful to think about where your priorities are and then weigh it against what is most cost-effective. Your rangehood and your island carry the most weight in those spaces. So unless you are going to replace them, you have to work with them and not against them. In terms of light fixtures, we would shy away from matching them because they are doing different work. If you want to pull focus to the island, you could try a pot rack light fixture or something linear to give the kitchen some weight. For the breakfast room, we would definitely add a round table. We also like upholstery on the chairs to soften things up (Sunbrella or other performance fabric would be great with kids). Regarding the window treatments, you want them to be sort of “talking” to each other, and this is a great place to bring in some fabric. The backsplash is always hard and right now it’s grabbing too much attention. We would contemplate replacing the countertops to match the backsplash. We all agree that we like the color of your cabinets and painting it another color white won’t do much; the tile is the real problem. We also don’t think you need to paint the rooms; just balance the lighting and the window treatments. The island doesn’t necessarily need to change color either, but the stools should tie more to the value of color of the cabinets. Think of the breakfast room, the kitchen and the family room each as a node that pulls you inward to them. There’s a lot of great space here; don’t be down on yourself and give yourself some time.

Good luck and please send us the after photos!

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This is the last day of our Nashville Week! Our guest this episode has many layers. Ray Booth is a designer, architect, bestselling author of Evocative Interiors, partner at McALPINE Design and this year launches his inaugural furniture collection with Hickory Chair and his first accessory and lighting collection with Arteriors. We talk to him about the design of his multiple homes including a home that rose from the ashes; Travelers Ridge. We ask him about decorating the mundane spaces, his love of light and drapery, and how to know when we have overfilled a room.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Ray got his start with McALPINE and his journey from Alabama to NYC and back again.
• The backstory on Ray’s grand hilltop home, Travelers Ridge, in Nashville. He literally built the home from the ground up on the land of charred ruins.
• Ray shares how he makes use of the outdoor space using terraces and how he makes a 5200 sq ft home feel intimate using layers, texture, proportion, and scale.
• Ray likes to think of a home as a story using pauses and punctuation and uses things like screens, scrims, and curtains in the home to accomplish that.
• Ray likes to use lightweight and thin drapery in order to “activate” the windows in a room.
• Ray created “working pantries”, complete with a sink, as landing place for dishes and other things so the kitchen can remain the gathering place without having the messy stuff front and center.
• Round rugs get a bad wrap, but Ray thinks if you do them in a solid color it becomes a fun, graphic way to define a space.
• In terms of embracing or ignoring the style of a home, it’s important to listen and hear what the client is asking for.
• You want your design to have staying power, so we have to acknowledge where we are both location wise and architecturally. The design of Ray’s homes are heavily influenced by this.
• Ray hopes that people will seek more authenticity from their homes due to spending so much time in them during the pandemic. Our homes are such an extension of our inner selves.
• Ray considers light to be “magic elixir” and designs and builds to allow light into the home.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ray Booth Design

Ray Booth Design on Instagram

“Evocative Interiors” – On Amazon

Travelers Ridge

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Amelia,

Great to hear from you again! Here’s what Ray has to say.

Let’s start with the drapery. A lighter drapery is going to allow the light to come in. If you have to have the blackout option, I would look to a Roman shade instead of the heavy velvet. I would encourage you to not put the patterned fabric on the lampshades. Lamps are for light, so I like the crispness and the brightness of a white shade rather than a gathered fabric shade. If you are going to use that accent fabric, think of doing almost a king-sized pillow with it rather than chopping it into smaller pieces. Color wise, I think your walls are really the opportunity to bring some color into the room. This will contrast with the white lampshades and lighter drapery.

Keep decorating and sending us your questions, Amelia!  

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We are on Day 4 of Nashville Week! This episode we are thrilled to be joined by another Nashville-based designer, Rachel Halvorson, of Rachel Halvorson Designs. Rachel found big success at a young age gracing the cover of Garden & Gun and she’s also been featured in LUX, Traditional Home, Southern Living and Better Homes & Gardens. Her work is incredibly varied; from farmhouse to contemporary to mid-century modern (MCM). We talk about how her approach is unique across every project, yet she manages to keep a clean style. We also talk about her go-to elements, her love of lighting, and the highly controversial “bookcase bathtub” that we mentioned in our last episode with Stephanie Sabbe.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Rachel found herself on the cover of Garden & Gun for her custom-designed porch swings.
• How Rachel makes a farmhouse, a very popular Nashville look, feel more authentic and elegant.
• Don’t rush the process! Designing your home is a journey. Rachel shares her approach to designing her own space.
• The highly controversial “bookcase bathtub” picture from out last episode with Stephanie Sabbe‘s was actually Rachel’s. How she came up with it and why she got hate mail on it.
• One of the most fascinating parts of design for Rachel is interpreting what people love and how they want to live, then incorporating that into her design. She likes people to think of their home as a time capsule.
• Bookshelves are a particular challenge for Rachel mostly because other people ask her to pick out their books!
• Are people actually reading books anymore or just decorating with them?
• “Tammywood” was an MCM project Rachel did for two members of the Little Big band. It was every bit as eclectic as her client; a kind of Hollywood glamour meets Bohemian.
• More than ever with people being at home, they want their homes to reflect them and their style. 
• Rachel’s go-to elements are anything that has patina or is aged to give a house a sense of history. In terms of window treatments, she goes for lightweight to bring the outside in.
• Rachel likes to use texture, rather than additional pieces, to add layers and a statement to a room.
• Rachel is a fan of mismatching and adding in small vintage pieces to give a space character and make it feel “lived in”.
• Beds are the hardest part of her job; while room-planning and lighting are the easiest. 
• Rachel uses things like sconces and lamps to create soft, flattering lighting; partially inspired by her grandmother.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Rachel Halvorson Designs

Rachel Halvorson on Instagram

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Sarah,

This is a very cute room! The first thing Rachel always does in a project is paint and lighting. We would pull the dark blue color from that rug (and push that rug under your sofa a bit!) and paint around the fireplace and even the built-ins in a semi-gloss. We would even consider painting the shutters that same color…even the trim! There is a lot of attention on the TV, so we would suggest buying a Samsung Frame. Then when it’s off, it acts as a piece of art. For the bookshelves? Go get more books! Old leather books from a used bookstore could be really nice. If there is an outlet by the bookshelves, little lamps on either side would be a great addition. How about those teeny lamps you already have on your acrylic table? Then add one single larger lamp on that table. Maybe add some floor lamps and some sconces on the panel wall. You do need more furniture. You could fit two chairs; stay away from matching chairs but two in a neutral fabric would be nice. Toss some throw pillows with maybe the same dark blue and/ or the red brick. A small chair by the fireplace would be very cozy and help round out the room. Another side table on the side of that sofa will also work. For window coverings definitely go for some lightweight or sheer curtains. If that’s a working fireplace, put some wood in it and use it. If not, some pretty birchwood or fireballs for a nice ambience.

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This episode comes to you from Day 3 of Nashville Week! Our guest is Nashville-based interior designer and nonprofit art gallery owner Julie Couch. Her work has been featured in Country Living, Southern Home, domino and she was named one of Traditional Home’s Rising Stars. She was also on DIY Network’s Nashville Flipped. This busy lady sits down with us to talk about her many projects, her love of performance fabrics and textiles, staying accessible and how to jazz up the popular all-white look.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Julie’s doesn’t have a particular style, but she likes to pull her client’s requests through her own filter. She particularly likes performance fabrics.
• Julie likes the motto, “If you feel like you have to impress somebody at your house, then you don’t need to invite them over.” And that design is evident in designing her own home.
• Having kids in the house doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things; Julie didn’t alter her home much when her daughter was born. Life is short—make your home beautiful! Even on a budget.
• Julie wants to take the intimidation out of the building and design process, so she is very transparent.
• What the best plan and biggest challenges are for all-white rooms; and how to make them unique.
• All about the spiral slide one of Julie’s clients wanted in her kids’ playroom.
• One thing Julie is seeing is clients being adventurous with their bathrooms, laundry and mud rooms.
• How to layer in textiles to make the light and white rooms feel more cozy.
• With more people at home, they are decorating and designing their spaces.
• Julie believes designing your home should be accessible; she has a blog with free advice and encourages people to think of design as an ongoing process.
• With so many clients finding Julie through social media, she has really embraced it as a tool.
• Why one of Julie’s biggest dislikes are rugs that are too small.
• More about Julie’s nonprofit art gallery, G Grace Gallery, that benefits chronically ill children.
• Julie’s tips on how to start and display an art collection.
• How Julie is able to bring back an old-fashioned classic, café panels, and make it feel modern.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Julie Couch Interiors

Julie Couch on Instagram

Julie Couch on Facebook

G Grace Gallery

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Lee,

This room is adorable! We agree that the wallpaper would be so pretty and we would put it on every surface you can; walls, ceilings, everywhere. We would use a fun print but in a lighter color. For the window, a Roman shade mounted all the way up where it meets the ceiling will define the window but add a softness. Over in the niche, a little desk or vanity table would be really nice with a shaded sconce above it. Wired sconces on the angled ceiling would be great, as well. We love this room and can’t wait to see what you do with it!

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Today’s episode comes to you from Nashville Week! We sit down with Stephanie Sabbe of Sabbe Interior Design. She started her career working in commercial and restaurant spaces and has transitioned to residential clients in her hometown of Nashville. We talk with Stephanie about how cozy her spaces make us feel, her love of traditional artwork, her favorite color palette and developing a flow to a room that feels personalized yet elevated!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Stephanie specializes in cozy and comforting spaces. She approaches design from a livable way and often works with families.
• How Stephanie pairs her unique curation of traditional artwork with fresh colors and clean lines to create a more modern look.
• Stephanie tries to evoke motion as you move throughout a house; she wants a flow but for each room to feel like it’s a different space.
• If there is a space in your house you aren’t using, you need to design it better.
• Designing with kids in mind requires a great deal of practicality and thinking ahead.
• A lot of Stephanie’s style was inspired from her time living and working in historic Boston.
• Stephanie has an affinity for the autumn and earth tone color palette and often muted colors.
• Stephanie talks about her widely shared image of a bookcase behind a tub.
• Fun and personality are so important to Stephanie’s brand and her projects.
• Second to natural light, Stephanie thinks sconce lighting is the best lighting.
• Stephanie tried an old but new trick; painting the trim the same color as the wall.
• Tips on designing the “dog chair”.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Stephanie Sabbe on Instagram

Sabbe Interior Design

Decorating Dilemma

Hi Julie!

We love this sofa. As far as furniture layout, we would pull the two wingback chairs back closer to the fireplace and flank them on either side. If you use the storage below the glass shelving often, you could probably angle the chairs in a way so you can still have access. You could definitely add a second sofa; something smaller like a loveseat. Just be sure to consider back height and arm height on the sofa to make sure one doesn’t dwarf the other. Since you already have so many solids, we would try something fun like a bold pattern to make that second piece pop. We like the grey upholstery on the wingbacks and adding a patterned throw pillow. The shelves are hard because of their differences; we like your lamp idea. Another thing we would suggest is taking the art over the fireplace and replacing it with a mirror since you already have artwork over the sofa. You might also consider painting the space; definitely the ceiling coffers. We like creamy white for the whole room. The fireplace has a lot of elements going on and we think if the room were all the same color, it would unify it.

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How about a rug to ground the seating area? It’s not entirely clear from the pictures, but what if you centered the sofa with the fireplace? You may have to move the piano to the other wall because it feels a bit lopsided having everything on one side of the room. Stephanie agrees with moving the piano and then putting the bookcases behind the piano. Then centering the art and adding two side tables, two table lamps will make that wall feel more symmetrical. If you move the piano and wingback chairs, you have room to put additional chairs in there, as well, to accommodate all the people.

You have a great space and a great start; especially for only 7 months living there! Keep us posted!

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In this week’s episode, we sit down with interior design expert Laura Thurman of Thurman Design Studio based in Nashville, Tennessee. We chat about how to handle bold, fall colors as well as having pieces of furniture in your living space that create a splash. We also discuss how to balance decor pieces that you may have picked up from different parts of the world with decor pieces that you already have.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Laura’s take on the “modern” style and what it means to her.

• How important it is to educate clients on the design process, because most of the time, inspiration comes from education.

• How to not be afraid of bold, non-traditionally neutral colors and how to incorporate them into your fall decor.

• How Laura takes an outdated house and gives it a much more modern approach without tons of major renovations.

• How to utilize gallery walls in your space, and what goes into creating a good one!

• How your personality and interests should shine through when it comes to the design of your house, just like in Laura’s Cherokee Soul project.

• Design tips for when you have a bold-coloured piece of furniture.

• The importance of balancing new and older or collected decor pieces to keep a modern feel to your space.

• How to have a balance of scale and not have your space feel too cluttered while allowing your eyes to rest in certain areas.

• The three design elements that can spruce up a neutral color palette in a space.

• The importance of designing a fabulous powder room.

• How to decorate a foyer and give some advice on how to incorporate patterns, coffee tables, and faux plants!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Thurman Design Studio

Laura Thurman on Instagram

Laura Thurman on Facebook

Laura Thurman on Pinterest

Decorating Dilemma

Laura thinks you should paint the whole foyer! Because the walls are faceted, painting just one wall doesn’t seem practical, so go big or go home! When it comes to the rug, Laura thinks a big, round, patterned rug would be best because it would take up more floor space.You should also put the Wedgewood gray on the ceiling and stick to navy on the walls. Laura also doesn’t think the arches should be the same color as the foyer, especially if the arches are introducing a room that is a different color. For having two young kids, we’re all very impressed with how tidy your space is! Keep playing with some more patterns since your sofa and pillows are pretty solid, we recommend swapping out the solid pillows for some patterned ones. We also noticed you don’t have a coffee table and have two square ottomans instead, but we think a bigger, round ottoman would complement your space very well. You should also consider painting the mantle navy blue or a deep green! Some drapes in the dining area would help make everything look a little more cohesive. Some greenery or faux plants would also make your home feel more lived-in and can bring life to a space.

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Our special guests this week are renowned architect Peter Pennoyerand the Director of Interior Design of Peter Pennoyer Architects (PPA), Alice Engel. Their work has been featured in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, Veranda, Town & Country, and many more. We discuss their love of details and high craftsmanship; especially when they serve a function. We also hear about common mistakes they see from clients, favorite projects and what it’s like to have nearly 10,000 books!

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How to balance designing for the particular needs of a family while also designing a space that will last for decades or more. Craftsmanship is the key to longevity.
• Ornaments personalize a house and Peter believes it joins art with architecture.
• Alice and Peter both find delight in small design details that improve functionality.
• PPA’s approach is to work early in the process with a designer and always include the design in the architectural plans.
• When meeting with an architect, always have a wish list of how many rooms, and be candid about your lifestyle.
• Peter and Alice get real on the biggest mistakes they see from their clients.
• Peter opens up about realizing his dream when he designed his house in the Hudson Valley as a square villa.
• It’s easy to overdo your design scheme; Peter and Alice remind us that simplistic consistency is often the best approach.
• Different ways to bring in and enhance natural light in a house; including “borrowing light”.
• The impressive lengths Peter and Alice traveled in order to combine traditional and modern on a house in Ohio that was featured in Architectural Digest.
• Why PPA likes to connect to each artisan involved in the process and make it a collaborative process.
• How trends and perspectives on design and architecture have been influenced by the pandemic.
• PPA has an impressive library of nearly 1o,oo0 books that are central to the office both in design and as a resource.
• Why bright red is a color seen throughout PPA’s projects.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Peter Pennoyer Architects
• PPA on Instagram
• Ohio Home designed by PPA
• New York project with copper dome

Find all of the show notes at ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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Our guest this episode, Brigette Romanek, is one of LA’s most sought-after designers. Brigette is the founder of Romanek Design Studio and has been featured in Architectural Digest’s “AD 100”, ELLE Decor, Vogue and more. With no formal training, Brigette relies heavily on her intuition and doesn’t believe there are hard rules when it comes to design. We discuss how her one-of-a-kind style is heavily influenced by her musical mother, her travels and her love of eclecticism.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Brigette went from having no formal training to designing Beyoncé’s home.
• Why it’s important to tune in to each individual client’s needs and “speak their language”.
• Brigette believes less is more (especially on windows!) and often strays from traditional design elements.
• What Brigette means when she says “livable luxe” and why she wants a home to feel functional yet uniquely yours.
• When designing a house, a room should be its own vignette but also fit together as a whole.
• Lighting is so important, yet difficult, to enhance the overall feeling of a space.
• Brigette likes to keep the original character of a building’s architecture and work with it instead of against it.
• Brigette’s clients run the gamut of completely hands-off to overseeing each step of the process; and she learns something new each time.
• What it was like working with Queen Bey!
• One of Brigette’s most challenging projects was working on a commercial project because everyone involved had different ideas.
• How Brigette gets away with including a wild card in each of her projects.

Decorating Dilemma

Brigette thinks you can break this up into two separate spaces that will serve as their own vignettes. You can put a rug down when you first walk in to immediately ground the space as well as some curtains to outline a seating area by the window. You could also have a cushion made to go on the bench you already have. As far as the rest of the room, using shelving or bookcases will make a decorative but intentional break in the space. In that middle space you’re not fond of, how about a beautiful table to place vase and even store your keys on? To store your winter clothes and other items, you do have that coat closet that protrudes. Let’s enhance that area and own it so you really love it! You could cover it with a fabric you love, you could paint it, you could change the hardware…play with it. A visit to the Container Store would help organize the inside of it.

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If we talk about using the things you already own, what if you took the bench you have and put it straight ahead when you walk in and then move the table where the bench is. And then just add Ballard’s double boot tray either right when you walk in or tuck on the backside of the closet. Maybe add hooks above it too? – Karen

And don’t forget to use those high ceilings for some fun lighting!

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Romanek Design Studio
• Romanek Design on Instagram
• Ballard Designs

Find the show notes for this episode at ballarddesigns.com/podcast.

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Today’s bonus episode marks four years since we started the How to Decorate podcast! We talk about our favorite takeaways, tips and tools learned over the years. We are so grateful for all of our wonderful listeners and the amazing guests we’ve had and look forward to way more fun ahead. Listen in for some of our takeaways about treating your room as a vignette, why we aren’t mad at brown furniture, and a little more of the personal ways we’ve grown and changed throughout the past four years.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Your house should be the most glamorous version of yourself.
• One of the biggest takeaways we’ve learned is there is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to design.
• Brown furniture was an unexpected key player to emerge.
• Tone value is such an important learning tool to apply across the board.
• Treating the rooms as vignettes is a simple and manageable way to break up a project.
• One of the easiest and most instant ways to change it up? Paint!
• The personal changes we’ve all been through since we started the podcast.
• Having a plan before you begin helps you reach your full vision and less like you’re never finished.
• How much energy is saved using LED lights vs. traditional lightbulbs and all the other things we’ve learned about lighting.
• “The Cantaloupe Rule”—no accessories smaller than a cantaloupe!
• Performance fabrics will save you many headaches in the long run.
• The important relationship between designer and architect.
• You should respect and decorate specific to house style while finding ways to infuse other elements.
• The relationship between a designer and a client is so personal.
• We’ve learned how important measuring is. Or have we? Use our room planner tool!
• Contrast brings a space to life; textures, finishes, colors, styles, shapes, etc.
• How your wardrobe and personal style can be a reflection of your design style.
• We can admire a someone else’s style or approach while not adopting it for ourselves; but there are ways to take elements and apply them towards our own design.
• Really study how you live to see if your home is (still) working for you.
• You don’t have to buy everything for your room all at once; especially expensive items.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard Designs

Find all of the show notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast.

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In this episode, we sit down with the multi-talented Breegan Jane. She is an LA-based designer, entrepreneur, lifestyle blogger, TV personality, children’s book author, and mother. She’s been featured on HGTV, the Hallmark Channel, and more. We talk with Breegan about using design as a way to keep some order and cleanliness in the house, tips that we can learn from a 23-bathroom house, and how to keep things fresh and new using what we already have while at home with our family.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• How Breegan’s impressive and diverse resume has helped to shape her design style and visual expression.
• What exactly designing a 23-bathroom house entails.
• What kind of tips designers learn from their clients that they use for their own homes.
• How Breegan uses design to keep order and cleanliness with two young sons in the house.
• Why Breegan insists her 4 and 6-year-old share a bedroom (at least for now).
• How you can transition spaces, especially as we are at home more, without buying all new things.
• The opportunities and challenges Breegan has faced while working on HGTV’s Extreme Makeover and how she balances work and motherhood.
• Breegan talks about her go-to elements for glamour and what she calls “modern approachable luxury” including mixing textures.
• In our Decorating Dilemma, we dive deep into modernizing a space with color tones and having faith in the changes your designers suggest.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Breegan Jane

Breegan on Instagram

Breegan on Facebook

Breegan on Twitter

HGTV

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Decorating Dilemma

Breegan thinks you know your biggest problem; you just have to be willing to fix it! The color tone in that wood is really dating the space. If you were to paint or stain over those cabinets in white, put two new pendants lights over the kitchen island and add a rug with some color in that space—you would be done! If you (or your husband) are not willing to part with the wood aesthetic, you could paint the kitchen white and try to ebonize the wood with a dark stain. Any color that gets you away from the yellow tone in the wood is really going to modernize it; you could do white, grey, brown or black. You already have a great, neutral style in your home and then you can accent it with any color you want; maybe even some fun bold-patterned drapery. There’s no getting around that dated tone, unfortunately, but you have a beautiful space with wonderful natural light! It may be labor-intensive, but you could do this yourself and it’s not very expensive. In terms of the backsplash? Leave it! You don’t need it and then you can put that money into the other things we recommended. Please report back, Megan!

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To sort of play devil’s advocate, Caroline thinks you could start by painting the doors, trim and fireplace while leaving the kitchen alone. Breaking up the uniformity of the space will help it look less dated. If you start small, you can get your husband on board with bigger changes.

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This week we were pleased to speak with Sara Barney—founder and principal designer of the Austin-based firm BANDD DESIGN. Sara is an Austin native who spent the first 10 years of her career in California in the sports and entertainment industries. Now back on her home turf, she’s taking the design world by storm. Sara was named one of Fortune Magazine‘s Most Powerful Women, one of Austin Monthly‘s Women to Watch, and is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and the Female Founder Collective.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Much of Sara’s style draws from her varied professional background and from living in California.
• Sara decided shortly after having her 2 daughters that she wanted to switch careers and try her hand at design. She took a 1 year online program and her business was booming before she even finished.
• We talk about Sara’s approach to styling shelves and her love/hate relationship with floating shelves.
• Solids work well for large elements and Sara ties in textures, layers and patterns with smaller pieces.
• Sara loves taking risks with wallpaper and shares some of her favorite sources.
• The all-white kitchen is a big trend, but Sara prefers playing with colors in the kitchen.
• Sara works a lot with young families and gives tips on where she recommends investing in more sturdy, stain-resistant pieces.
• 3D printed houses are here; and Sara explains how it works and how she got to design one.
• What are two of the things everyone is asking Sara for? (matte black fixtures and modern farmhouse)
• With people spending more time at home due to COVID, Sara talks about how design requests have been influenced.
• Sara talks about best home office solutions and how to make the space not look so “corporate”.
• We talk about Sara’s love of and use of deep teal and integrating functional items to fit within the design.
• Why one of Sara’s phrases is, “No Schluter ever!”

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This week, we welcome legendary designer Markham Roberts to talk about his new book, Notes on Decorating. We talk about how his style has evolved, and he shares his knowledge and humor with us. We discuss why practicality is key, how to better combine traditional and modern style, and why his love of hot dogs is unparalleled.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Markham thinks the most important thing is understanding your clients and what makes them happy.
• Practicality is key.
• Not all decorating is created equal. Markham recommends considering the difference between mountain houses vs. beach houses, country vs. urban, etc., and to choose materials that reflect location, terrain and climate.
• When combining traditional and modern styles, Markham thinks there are no rules and it’s best just to DO IT. See what happens and how they relate to each other.
• We talk about 3 houses Markham decorated all out West, belonging to 3 clients that were friends, that are very different.
• The Nantucket house that Markham decorated truly indulged his creativity. The client’s unique and blunt personality challenged him to make a mix of styles work together.
• We love how much Markham uses humor in his approach, and in his book, to enjoy his work. We dive into some of our favorite parts of his book.
• Markham tells us how he got creative with a client’s antique pieces so they could be highlighted and not hidden.
• We ask Markham about his guidelines on the contrast trend.
• Markham talks to us about his love of subtlety, details and the use of simple ticking of fabrics.
• We ask Markham for his best nuggets about textiles; don’t always go for the most formal and expensive fabric, play around with them, look at larger samples to really study it.
• Markham shares what he loves about one of his personal properties in a small Victorian town in Washington state and how he and his partner, James, have worked for 20 years to make this home truly their own.
• Markham tells us why he loves antique quilts and how to be careful when purchasing them.
• The only thing that compares to Markham’s love of his dog and tennis, is hot dogs.

Mentioned In This Episode:

MarkhamRoberts.Com

Markham’s Instagram

Notes on Decorating

Decorating the Way I See It

Find all of the show notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast.

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Painter, shop owner, decorator, and author Sean Scherer joins us this week. We talk about creating authentic interiors that tell a story, and Sean shares the inspiration behind his new book, Kabinett & Kammer. We also talk with Sean about using scale and composition to keep balance and flow within a room, using small objects and bright colors to create a large impact, and why it’s okay to just go ahead and purchase that piece you’ve been eyeing up.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs on some expensive roman shades, rewiring a lamp, a broken chair, tree talk, and exciting new house plans!
• In Sean’s new book, Kabinett & Kammer, he celebrates practical yet beautiful interiors in an honest and humble way. It’s all about taking the things we already have and love and displaying them in a new way to get a striking effect.
• Sean’s mother was a collector, and by watching her reorganize and repurpose, he fell in love with the process.
• In Sean’s new book, Anderson Cooper wrote the foreword and appreciated the aspect of how we can create a unique and authentic sanctuary for ourselves in our home.
• We can play with scale to make smaller objects more noticeable, and also use smaller objects as a way to experiment with bright colors.
• How Sean shops for the Kabinett & Kammer storefront, and uses the shop as another form of artistic output.
• If you really love something, buy it! It’s all part of building a conversation in our home that shows what we love and who we are.
• Ways we can take an object and successfully use it out of context, like a great taxidermy piece.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Karen's roller shades
• Kabinett & Kammer
• Kabinett & Kammer Book
• @kabinettandkammer

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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There's so much more that goes into shopping for a great chair than just picking what looks pretty. We invited our in-house upholstery experts Kelly, our Merchant and Buyer, and Hillary from our Product Design team to share their insights. We talk about everything from chair height, placement, arms, ottomans, and everything in between. We pick their brains on what to look for when purchasing a chair, and where to splurge vs. save in the chair department. Whether you want to swivel, recline, or sit up pin-straight, this is the episode for you.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Just as important to consider how you are going to use a chair is how you are going to use the space where the chair is going. That will determine the function whether it’s for office use, entertaining,
• What instances you would want high back chairs vs. lower back chairs.
• The best chairs for entertaining, and the best times that you can sacrifice comfort for something a little tighter.
• How your frame is the foundation of a chair and the different types of frames we use based on the specific engineer and general construction of the chair.
• The best choices for an office chair that can support long hours at the computer, now that many of us are working from home for the foreseeable future.
• What pitch is on a chair, and how the experts at Ballard design and development team determine that a pitch is right.
• The different styles of arms on a chair, and which ones are better fitting different functions.
• Ballard over 300 upholstery options and many of the performance fabrics are perfect for families, pets, and clumsy drink spillers.
• When are ottomans are appropriate, and how much lower they should be than our seat.
• Even our experts have scratches on their leather couches, so it’s okay to not be perfect if you do decide on leather!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ballard Chairs

Ballard Sofas

Slipcovers Chairs

Sharon Sofa

Kathryn Upholstered Sofa

Sofia Upholstered Sofa

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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We kick off this week with some tree talk, then welcome our guest, Interior Designer Katie Ridder. We couldn’t be more excited to talk with Katie about her new book, More Rooms, which is yummy beyond words and featuring color and exquisite details out of this world. We talk with Katie about her bold choices, her love affair with custom banquettes, her advice on bedding, and how she counters colorful choices with colors and tones that blend together seamlessly.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about a big plant overhaul, a much needed cushion deep cleaning, rotting plants, and spooky chic Halloween decor.
• More behind the amazing details and bold statements of color featured in Katie’s work, how she dreams up all the details without it feeling too busy or overdone.
• How she chooses color scheme and builds on it with all the colors, and why you need to just trust her when she mentions bringing in a brown couch.
• Why she chooses quiet carpets when you have colorful carpet schemes.
• More about her love affair with custom banquettes, and fun ways to add seating options for everyday living and entertaining in a home.
• How to make a cozy study, especially now since so many of us are working from home.
• Her advice on beds, low profile mattresses, and her choice of bedding.
• What working with large publications such as House Beautiful and House and Garden opened her eye to different styles and learning about scale in person.
• Katie’s advice for outdoor rooms, and how she has really gotten more into gardening during this time of quarantine.
• Ways that we can make sure our furniture and design choices are in scale.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Katie Ridder

@katieridderinc

Penn & Fletcher

Swedish Grace

Charles Beckley

1800 Matress

Trees Atlanta

Suzanne Kasler

Decorating Dilemma:

Thank you for writing! Here are our suggestions: we don’t think the rug is too large. You can cut it down a little bit if you want, and it would not hurt the value too much. Katie agrees that your instinct to get rid of the cabinet under the TV is right, along with putting the TV on the wall. Check out some of our Ballard console tables to anchor the side of the room. Also, we would lacquer the chairs and use a performance fabric for the cushions.

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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Award-winning interior designer Joy Moyler joins the show this week to share how we can carve off a little slice of luxury in our own homes. Joy works with actual royalty, along with dream celebrity clients such as Leonardo Dicaprio and John Mayer. Based in New York, Joy absolutely loves creating a whole home for her clients and talks about ways we can make both simple and layered designs clean and stunning. She shares what textiles and pieces are making her do a happy dance these days, and how working with huge brands such as Revlon and Ralph Lauren helped bring her eye for fashion into winning design creations.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Joy shares the benefits of working with different design firms and both residential and commercial projects.
• The same way that others mentored her, Joy pays it forward with hiring interns and mentoring the budding designers of tomorrow.
• How Joy works with clients who choose to layer heritage pieces, and those who opt for a minimal and simplistic style.
• What she loved working with huge brands such as Revlon, Armani, Ralph Lauren, and how fashion ties in so heavily with home design.
• What the celebrities are doing in their houses that we aren’t doing at ours, besides having multiple homes.
• What a meeting with Leo is really like, and how Joy fought back a flu to attend a movie premiere!
• A glimpse of what it looks like when Joy designs home from soup to nuts, including their flat-ware and tables.
• More about the Stone Barn Dairy Farm in update New York, which house some of the luckiest cows on earth!
• Joy’s tips for using fashion textiles as window treatments or cushions.
• Simplicity can sometimes be even more complicated.
• Which of Joy’s projects she would take on as her own home.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Armani

Joy Moyler Interiors

@joymoylerinteriors

Decorating Dilemma:

Joy thinks putting some artwork on the walls will create other focal points in the space. Definitely some colorful area rugs and Joy recommends a lighter printed window treatment. This will help soften it up and create a break from all the beige. A more translucent textile that is a lighter color instead of the blue would look better. For painting your walls, something celadon or light blue would look good. Thank you for writing, and be sure to keep us updated!

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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New York-based designer Marshall Watson joins us this week to talk about trusting your intuition, his connection to Swedish design, and more. We also talk with Marshall about the importance of creating a floor plan and knowing a home’s architecture before going in on a big design. Marshall also talks about his new book, The Art of Elegance: Classic Interiors which pairs his personal stories of beautiful homes with photos showing their elegance and luxury.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Why hiring a New York designer is the best - just ask Marshall how many unexpected obstacles and challenges come up when designing in small spaces that need both beauty and function.
• Marshall believes in getting the architecture right first, then other design elements will fall into place.
• Marshall is a native of Kansas City and graduated with three majors from Stanford University. He also has a love for theatre design and made it onto the Soap Opera As The World Turns as an actor!
• We can interview ourselves when about to design our own homes, much like Marshall would interview a client. The first place to start is asking “how can I spoil myself in the best way possible?”
• How to find artisans you trust and find it pleasurable to work with.
• Marshall doesn’t believe in bad taste - there are opportunities to take a vision and make it fit.
• Marshall shares how he got into Swedish design, and how the Swedish sensibility is practical, clean, and geared to bring more light in a home.

Decorating Dilemma:

Brenda, we love that you love color and pattern. Marshall believes in pulling spaces together, and the tables along with the wallpaper as well. It would be nice to have a stack of two photos on top of it, preferably with the frames being the same color as the consoles so they are unified. He would put two frames and a pair of pictures that are a large print or have a large mat. A suggestion would be painting the wooden part of the chandelier white, along with the base of the table. You have a lot of doors, you might as well paint them the same color and celebrate them. An indoor/outdoor carpet four inches from the wall could help accentuate and tie together the shapes while embracing what you have already done.

If you decide to paint the entry, you can’t paint the ceiling white because it will look cheap. You can use a little of the wall color, but dark walls mean a somewhat darker ceiling. If budget allows, you may want to think about new flooring for the entry-way to fit your bold and colorful vibe.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• The Art of Elegance
• Marshall Watson Interiors
• @MarshallWatsonInteriors

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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This week, we are happy to welcome Carmeon Hamilton, a Memphis based designer who is also behind Nubi Interiors. Carmeon talks to us about the positive effects great design can have on our mood, how her background in retail merchandising and working around construction gave her a solid foundation, and her book that teaches us to all be better plant parents. Carmeon also shares some great plant purchasing and plant care tips, and affordable ways to spruce up our home and add extra space as we continue to work remotely.

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

• Trials and Triumphs about ways to make your space better at no cost, a drop ceiling replacement, new cabinetry, and paint jar organization.
• How Carmeon went from having the best designed dorm room in college to switching from physical therapy to design as her focus in college.
• The ways that working with construction and architecture gave Carmeon an understanding of what a project needed before interior design can even begin.
• Carmeon’s work in healthcare showed her how important a well designed space is for our mood, and a large part of that is having plants and beautiful greenery to care for!
• Some great tips for picking plants and keeping them alive, for even the most newbie plant parents.
• How to balance working from home and comprise your vision when you are co-workers with your husband and even children.
• A few of the great ways Carmeon utilizes double use furniture in her living room and kitchen, creating more space for guests and entertaining.
• How to use accent walls in a way that is not cheesy, and if you are going to go for it, really go for it.
• The most genius idea for more counter space in the bathroom so those toothbrushes aren’t always on display.
• Tips and tricks on picking the right container or planter for your plant for the best growth and drainage.
• How she shops for plants, and yes you can get amazing plants and flowers at your neighborhood grocery stores, and also support local businesses as well.

Mentioned In This Episode:

11 Zero-Cost Room-Changing Ideas

Carmeon Hamilton

Nubi’s Guide to Plant Parenting

@carmeon.hamilton

Ballard Beds, Daybeds & Headboards

Decorating Dilemma

We would paint the cabinetry, walls, and wet bar area all one color, and you can continue to use it for office space if you are like the rest of us working from home! We also would find a different location for the TV, possibly mounting it on the wall. The windows are challenging, but we definitely would think about a scenario where you build in a day bed with some sconces on the wall and some good funky shades. You have a lot of options, and we look forward to hearing which direction you go!  

Find all of the Show Notes at Howtodecorate.com/podcast

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Tish Mills is known for creating peaceful yet livable spaces that reflect the homeowners personality. She joins us this week to talk about her love of construction, how a great design team makes the whole thing seem effortless, and ways we can create peace and harmony in our busy homes and lives. We also reminisce about the showroom we worked on together in 2014, and draw from that how to take pieces and customize them in a beautiful way that is meaningful to you.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs on good neighbor relations when it comes to painting, a fun pastel door color, the wrong sized curtains (take two), and a few of the best options for good ergonomics when working from home until who knows when.
• The difference between console and desks in terms of height and surface working area.
• Why Tish used the word “peaceful” when it comes to her design, and examples of projects that fit this description perfectly, including a home with fluted kitchen cabinets.
• How a great team in design can make a project seem effortless.
• More about Tish’s love of construction, and how it’s like a mix to go through labor and to therapy when doing a major remodel.
• Tish’s dad was one of the four major developers of Hilton Head, so construction is in her blood.
• Why planning ahead and knowing our traffic patterns can help make the best decisions in every aspect of design, as early as we can.
• How Tish works with her clients to use pieces that are personal and meaningful that they collect over time, rather than feeling like they need to furnish and decorate in a hurry.
• How we can use earth tones correctly.
• More about the Not Your Average Downsize project which boasted a 30,000 square foot incredible home.
• Using metals as the base for your interiors, and options that you may not have otherwise thought about.
• More about the showhouse we did together in 2014 at the Atlanta Symphony Showhouse, and what we can learn about taking objects and customizing them to make them feel like your own.

Mentioned In This Episode:

@tishmills

Tish Mills

Carin Console

Rachel Cannon - Ep #44 Forward Thinking with Ballard Designs

Decorating Dilemma:

We love this question, and love that you are up for a change. Tish agrees 100% that the bed facing the fireplace is too expected, and doesn’t feel that you need to move the chandelier. Do some floor to ceiling panels, and weight the treatments slightly more to equalize the windows. Do complimentary tables on the side, and they do not have to match. The part of the door to the right of the fireplace that you don’t use, the mirror feels a little out of place, so you could find another place for it. You can also put a nice comfy chair there and create a seating area or cozy reading nook. Art is important in this space, and Tish would float a piece of art over the headboard. There are also some “lazy” options that we suggest, and we won’t tell anyone if you decide to go for them!

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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We kick off this week’s show with our favorite design books, and what better time to start reading then now, while we are all still at home? Then, we welcome designer Jena Salmon from Atlanta to talk about her style that incorporates classic and traditional with a little funk. Jena discusses her love of color, how novices can get started with bold choices that will stand the test of time, tips and tricks for wallpaper, and ways to mix in traditional older pieces with modern furniture and design.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Our top books in design for beginners, fancy homes, “normals”, and everyone in between!
• Design books can be an investment themselves, but they are a great accessory and also make for great gifts and trading.
• Jena’s style is funky, but also classic and traditional. She shares how just using one acrylic or contemporary piece out of context can make a big difference.
• How to choose colors that are bold but stand the test of time.
• An inner glimpse at a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired house that Jena is working on, and how she captures the client’s requests with the overall architecture of a home.
• How we can save money and time by using wallpaper in the most efficient ways.
• Why Jena chose blue and tile tile, and how this can create classic neutrality also found in plain white kitchens.
• What happens with showrooms after they are done, and why a designer would want to do one.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Habitat by Lauren

Tom Scheerer

No Place Like Home - by Madeline Stuart

Vacation at Home - by Vern Yip

Modern Mix by Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar

Bunny Williams

One Man’s Folly by Furlow Gatewood

Gil Schafer

Soul of the Home - by Tara Shaw

The Art of Place - by Lee Ledbetter

The Big Book of Chic - by Miles Redd

Jena Salmon

@jenasalmon

Decorating Dilemma:

Thank you for writing in! We would make sure everything is painted the same color and in flat paint so there is not a lot of reflection. Since you have young children, they are going to need a place to play and a TV above the fireplace will work here. Check out our Coventry Benches that would provide some great space for storage and also additional seating options. A solid tall piece of furniture could also be used for storage without competing with color. Behind the sofa, a drop leaf table could be a great option for eating and more storage. Great for kids and it will soon serve as your new dining room table/drop space for walking in the door, etc!

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast

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This week we give a warm welcome to Julie Massucco Kleiner and Melissa Warner, founding designers of the West Coast-based firm Massucco Warner. Their portfolio is a joy to look at, so we couldn’t wait to catch up with them to talk about using color, texture, and unexpected details in an approachable way. We also talk with Julie and Melissa about patterns, their great lamp game, making the most of the space in a double-height room, the importance of using samples, and color threading from room to room.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Why Julie and Melissa love working with color so much, and how they pull it off in such a fun and approachable way.
• Neutral doesn’t always have to mean beige or white, it can be navy blue or any other solid color when done correctly.
• Ways we can color thread throughout our home so colors complement rather than compete with one another.
• Using samples are important and leave them out long enough to decide if it really is a fit for your everyday life long term.
• Ways that Julie and Melissa create beautiful and chic looks in high traffic areas using textures such as faux leather.
• How to use a colors you may be unsure of, like mustard yellow in a kitchen.
• Recommendations for tying in our outdoor furniture with indoor colors so they seamlessly flow.
• A few rules of thumb for using patterns and how adding another color can help break up and tone down the pattern.
• Ways to create a focal point from scratch.
• Lamps can be a great source of color and flair to a room without making a huge commitment.
• How to treat a double-height room without over-engineering it.

Mentioned In This Episode:

@massuccowarner

Massucco Warner

Decorating Dilemma:

The table and the chairs totally fit the room, but we think you can tweak the size of the rug and beef it up to cover more space! You want to be able to pull your chairs out and still have them on the rug. As far as your seats, it’s super easy to unscrew cushions (and even may be fun to do@) and recover them with a navy and white performance fabric. Two smaller lights over the island and a big one over the dining table could be a great call!

Find all of the Show Notes at Ballarddesigns.com/podcast. 

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Let’s bring some joy and color into our week with Courtney McLeod, the designer behind Right Meets Left Interiors. Known for her beautiful and fun yet sophisticated body of work, Courtney is a true pro at using color to create joy and personality in her clients' homes. She talks with us about taking risks in business and in design, ways that we can start to incorporate more color in our design, and how to use color in small spaces.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about new art lighting up our homes, a doctor’s visit for the pup, and great solutions for those unorganized beach towels.
• How Courtney’s background of business and the finance industry mixes with her artistic side to create a perfect balance of mixing creativity with the analytical.
• Courtney’s process at Right Meets Left Design is all about listening to her clients and interpreting their desires and dreams into what is doable for their particular situation, taste, and budget.
• Color doesn’t always have to be loud, but it can be just as interesting when it is soft.
• Having a contrast of shapes creates an interesting and engaging space, so it’s not all about going all angular or all circular.
• Ways we can work with color, even if it intimidates us. Also, using color in small spaces and busting the myth that you can’t use bold color in a small space.
• Do what feels good for you when it comes to color and pieces that you love. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks, or if you aren’t able to use it in your home just yet - you will one day!
• The inspiration behind Courtney’s super cute designs in both New Orleans and Antiqua.
• Fun and imaginative ideas for kids rooms that are interactive and great to stand the test of time including a comic book mural wall.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Melissa McGill

Ballard Cabot Hook

Sherwin Williams Dynamic Blue

@rightmeetsleftinteriordesign

Right Meets Left Interior Design

Decorating Dilemma:

The tile to the ceiling is one of our favorite tricks, so we are glad you did that, and your space already has incredible bones and structure! It looks like you already have an area for counter stools in the kitchen and a really great dining area, so maybe make the center section more of a seating area and snacking area. We would recommend a tight back bench so you don’t get the squishiness when you sit on it and you can have an upright feel. Check out our banquette sofas, and one that was skirted would add some softness with a classic dining table look. For a chandelier, something smaller and undersized that looked like a little jewel would be super cool.

____________________________________________________________________

Your pieces have great lines, and we do agree that the brown feels a bit heavy. The two head chairs with chartreuse cushions would be excellent as white, making the cushions pop even more. Check out the Ballard chair options here, If you do decide to go for print, pick a print where your accent color is that smallest color in that print. You will be surprised how the solid will pair with the print.  

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This week we welcome Designer and Artist Marika Meyer, who has a lot of advice about fabrics and rugs from creating and running her own firm, Marika Meyer Textiles. Marika discusses her style that mixes beautiful patterns, polished pieces, and rooms that can provide both beauty and space for young families. Marika also talks with us about how to keep a room looking elevated and gorgeous even when it is heavily used, the process of creating fabrics, and how she picks a color palette for her collection.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about the removal of both a cast and trees on the roof, some patio construction, repurposing a terrarium, and some creative fixes for lighting up a ceiling,
• Marika combined her love of business and data with art and photography when following a career in design and opening her own firm.
• Being a designer is a very personal business, so you better make sure you are into people before you choose this path!
• Our homes can be the background for great stories, and it’s okay to design a beautiful and edited space knowing it won’t stay perfect forever.
• Why the phrase “practical luxury and functional beauty” perfectly sums up Marika’s work.
• How to keep a room looking elevated and gorgeous using basics as the backdrop and the “little black dress” of the room.
• Ways we can design a room for purposefully for exactly how we plan to use it, how much we plan on entertaining, etc.
• More about the process of creating fabric from start to finish and taking a painting into a pattern.
• How Marika picks the color palette for her collection.
• The dirty little secret about her giant Palladian windows in a design house and how we can use Roman shades to add layers and hide mistakes.
• How we can use textiles, tones, different values, and colors to make a neutral room lively.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ep #66: Andrew Cogar and Kristin Kong

Ballard Suzanne Kasler Chairs

Meyer Interiors

Marika Meyer Textiles

@marikameyersinc

Decorating Dilemma:

We love your thoroughness, and actually this is a lovely dilemma. First, if you were to move the eating area to the top of the L shape on the porch, you could take advantage of the more narrow space without sacrificing the light. One trick could be putting together two square tables to make a larger rectangle, and you could separate the tables and pull them apart if you need more distance. We agree that Option #1 could work, and it appears as if the view is nicer from the backside, so maximizing that view would also create a nice space to add in more seating to fill out that area, augmented by two sets of chairs on the existing porch that could be easily pulled in to the conversation area if needed. Some school house benches that also serves as a cocktail table could be fun and easily defined. The layering of texture is key, and we believe in you!  

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This week, we welcome Ellie Cullman and Sarah Ramsey of Cullman & Kravis Associates, one of the top design firms in the country known for providing the highest quality of design and personal service. They discuss how the firm was founded and rose to be one of the leaders in design, along with the inspiration behind their new book, From Classic To Contemporary. We talk with them about ways to infuse traditional interiors with a modern and liveable perspective, what to do when you don’t want to be formal in a larger space, and how to create an art collection that best showcases your emotions and unique style.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Ellie shares her great story of getting into design through a screenplay that didn’t go to well in a pitch meeting.
• The four ways to make a huge impact when creating a space that feels refreshed and flows seamlessly.
• All your art does not have to come from one specific time period or collection. You can have art reflect your individual taste and lead with emotions rather than what you think should be in the rooms.
• Why attending an art fair (once we can go to them again) is a great idea to find affordable yet meaningful pieces or even just an idea of what’s out there.
• Just like finding love, don’t commit to a certain design idea until you’ve looked around and “dated” a bunch of other ideas. If you are constantly seeing the same design ideas reflected back through your searches or Instagram algorithm pages, you can break out and try to embrace something new!
• Ellie and Sarah work with designers of all ages at Cullman & Kravis, and they find this to be a source of inspiration and fresh ideas.
• Ways we can create “lamp harmony” by adding uplighting, chandeliers, or even just changing an outdated light bulb or shade.
• The Hudson River home that exemplified how to arrange furniture in a large room that doesn’t need to be so formal.
• More about the Palm Beach project that portrayed beautiful accent walls and big colorful gestures.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Cullman & Kravis

From Classic to Contemporary

@cullmankravis

American Folk Art Museum

Kramer vs. Kramer

Sotheby’s

Decorating Dilemma:

First, as a pet owner, we understand the comfort of wanting to have an indoor and outdoor rug. The technology is amazing these days, and you can get ones that look nice, like the Ballard Anders Indoor/Outdoor rug, that hopefully, your cat won’t destroy. You could paint the top of the table and get a pop of color that way, which allows you to get a 48” table and save some space. Your house is light and open, we love it! Good choice of neutral yet beautiful paint colors as well.  

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This week we are joined by the wonderful, whimsical, and swagger filled Jonathan Adler. He talks with us about how he grew up on a tiny farm town in New Jersey and used his skills as a potter to see beyond just one path and create a huge and well-respected name in the industry as a designer, author, and personality. Jonathan shares how he got started in design, the inspiration behind the iconic Parker Hotel Palm Springs and Modern American Glamour style, why worrying about trends is a thing of the past, and why we shouldn’t be afraid to design with putting our most optimistic and bold foot forward.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs including a whole lot of painting, Ikea basket storage, furniture placement, and office spruce up.
• Jonathan grew up in a tiny farm town in New Jersey and tried pottery when he was 12 at camp. He fell immediately in love with the art and knew he wanted to pursue it for his lifelong passion in a unique and inimitable way.
• Jonathan got studio space in SoHo by teaching classes and his atypical thinking kept him open to branching out towards all elements of design, including his friends’ home.
• Jonathan’s Modern American Glamourous style encourages people to reach beyond their limitations and preconceived style restrictions and get as funky and weird as they want.
• As a decorator, Jonathan feels like he is a slimming mirror for his clients, reflecting the best and most optimistic version of themselves.
• Why a neutral slate is a great place to start and build colorful and whimsical additions.
• Jonathan shares how he used timeless elements mixed with rustic modern and hippie aesthetic in the Parker Hotel, and what his process was behind the refresh.
• Why we can take more risks now more than ever with so many options being out there that trends are really just more about people picking what they personally like.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Jonathan Adler

Jonathan’s Hilarious Timeline

@jonathanadler

Benjamin Moore Crushed Velvet

New York Magazine

Elle Decor

Parker Palm Springs

David Hicks

Strand Book Store

Decorating Dilemma:

First off, this house is incredible and your staircase is amazing! What Jonathan would do is keep the floors and paint everything else white including the kitchen. Since it is a loft-like space, you will need to do some seating pavilions and pads. White walls and wood floors will bring a cohesive feel. We are loving the front doors! Marble would be lovely for the countertops.

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We have two very exciting guests this week, Jennie Seward and Ann Mashburn. These two powerhouse designers just happened to have daughters that ended up rooming together as college freshmen and are now two peas in a very well decorated pod. Jennie and Ann talk with us about ways to maximize space in a small shared area, tips for making the most out of bed storage, and share a few of their favorite budget-friendly ideas for adding warmth and personality to a dorm.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about a broken femur, trip to Maine, a very heavy fountain, dripping faucets, and much more!
• How Jennie and Ann’s daughters ended up rooming together, and how these two peas in a pod get along.
• The difference between decorating a dorm room for a boy vs. a girl, and why the boys just may be happy with one loan Home Depot bucket.
• How Pinterest has changed dorm room decorating, and where Jenny and Ann and their daughter’s collected ideas for inspiration.
• All about the bed including bed skirts, maximizing storage, and reupholstered sidewalk headboard.
• How to keep spaces separate for sleeping and studying, even if space is an issue.
• Ideas to decorate the walls and not have them so bare without needing to spend too much money.
• Tell your kids you will buy everything once, so they know to keep good care of what they have!
• Our love for the touch kitchen faucet, and why it will change your life!

Mentioned In This Episode:

Jennie Seward | @jenniesewardco

Ann Mashburn | Sid Mashburn | @annmashburn

Casper Mattress

Ikea

Pinterest

Garnet Hill

Decorating Dilemma:

We agree that you should paint the brick and the green should be painted a nice off white. Changing your hardware could really modernize your kitchen, and you can check out Ballard’s hardware for some inspiration. Add some great lighting such as a fabulous light fixture over the island. You may not need stools for the counter, and this will add space for one long bench without having people bump into each other.

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This week it’s all about the dining room, kitchen, and fun seating options with our in-house expert Sara Stephen. Sara guides us through ways that we can use our existing dining room and kitchen furniture to maximize space, support the flow of a room, and create a consistent yet not too matchy look. We talk with Sara about how to choose a dining room table, what trends she is seeing in the world of kitchen and dining decor, why banquettes and benches are so hot right now, and whether you really need to sit next to your loved one at a party.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• What to look for a dining room table including size, shape, function, clean up ability, and seating size.
• Beautiful fabrics that are also easy to care for - they are out there! Sara explains which fabrics are great for families that have to deal with spills and messes way too often.
• How to know which chairs go with which tables, and it’s okay to mix and match! We can also have host and hostess chairs that stand out to break up the pattern and make it feel like less of a set.
• Place cards and seating orders can be fun if you are having a get together where the guests are feeling friendly and like leaving their dates for a few hours!
• Good rules to go by when picking out legs and finishes for your dining room table.
• Tips for picking out benches and banquettes for a narrow room, and how to pick dining benches that provide a great space but not too much like a conference room.
• How to get the perfect bar stool height, surface, and swivel.
• How Merchants at Ballard infuse their own personality and taste with the Ballard product line.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ep #8 Stylist Natalie Nassar

Ep #84 Susan Ferrier

Ballard Designs Dining Room and Kitchen

Barstools and Counter Stools

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In today’s episode, Birmingham, Alabama interior designer Dana Wolter joins the podcast to about how to create drama and edge in design, ways to use texture and layers to create softness, and the magic of drapery panels.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs about the most traumatic power outage, new house plans, digital picture frames, adjusting to a longer working from home schedule, paint color testing, rose tips, and some fun basement renovation.
• Dana’s goal is to give her clients something custom, unique, long-lasting, and special to them. When using trendy pieces, she tends to pick items that are a lower price point so it’s not a huge loss to move along from them every few years.
• Dana gives some advice on creating drama and edge using different layers and textures.
• Just because a space is neutral, doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of depth and layering.
• When the architecture is strong, we need less drama in our design.
• Coming from a large family, Dana understands first hand how important it is to create a space that is comfortable and able to expand with any family needs.
• Dana’s take on how high up the wall art should go up to create balance and work with the scale of a room.
• Why we just love sconces so much not only to fill the room with light but add an element of drama and art.
• A pair of chaise lounge chairs in the living room can be a comfortable and inviting solution for more seating.

Mentioned In This Episode:

@danawolterinteriors

Dana Wolter Interiors

Traditional Home Spring 2020

Livable Home

Ballard Designs IG TV

William McClure

Skylight Digital Picture Frame

Decorating Dilemma:

Congrats on your new home and you are so close! We need to find a way to ground the space in the dining area, and a banquette would add some weight. Check out the Coventry one that we have at Ballard. Add some sconces! We love the art on the credenza, placing a beautiful bowl with some books could add layers to your already wonderful foundation. We have an acrylic bar cart that would vibe with your modern yet traditional look, and this would bring in another fun texture.  

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Our guest Keita Turner is a New York-based interior designer who talks with us about stepping out of your comfort zone, rules for hanging art, and ways you can find what works for you and blend it together in a seamlessly clean and interesting way.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Trials and triumphs featuring a beautiful painting with a floating frame, working without an office, the perfect place for a great houseplant, a water heater that won’t define us,
• How effective command hooks and organizational trays can be to keep our spaces free and clear.
• Keita shares how her background in mass-market fashion and high-pressure corporate work lead her to take classes and work for her mother in interior design.
• How Keita’s mother’s style inspired her own, and ways that they are different in their personal approach.
• How freelancing gave Keita the confidence to know that she could branch out on her own.
• Keita’s motto: “don’t be afraid to do things that frighten you.”
• Ways that we can mix things through travel and build a collection of pieces that are meaningful and beautiful to us personally.
• The balance of nudging clients to go a certain design route and honoring their vision to courage their collection in a way that works for their ultimate goals.
• The rules for hanging art, and what Keita continually sees people doing wrong!
• What makes a great art handler, and why you may want to work with one.
• How Keita is adapting to virtual presentations to still show the texture and composition of individual fabrics and swatches.
• Keita's pillow collection Livvy and Neva, made from vintage textiles

Mentioned In This Episode:

Picture Frames.com

@hotdudesreading

@keitaturnerdesign

Keita Turner Design

Redd Kaihoi

Ballard Designs IG TV

Decorating Dilemma:

This is a good looking room, and you have done a great job of pulling it together thus far. The recliner and antique table can’t occupy that space, but we like the recliner so don’t want to see it go! You could find cabinets with doors that provide cord management. Adding some art and accessories with some black could add texture and depth, and the blue from the painting could also be used in a buffalo check pillow or another way to pop some color in. Some small tables could provide a place for drinks, and a nice floor lamp will add more lighting options. You have great style, so just a few final tweaks and you are good!  

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Antiques expert, designer, and author Tara Shaw joins the show to share her passion for antiques and how to decorate with them in our homes. She talks about sourcing antiques, steps for bringing beautiful pieces in our space, and the inspiration behind her new book Soul of the Home: Designing with Antiques.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode:

• Tara’s new book, Soul of the Home: Designing with Antiques ties in education about designing with antiques and explanations of how furniture that is both old and modern can work together. Take it from us, it will be the kind of book you want to bring out on a relaxing morning and savor with a cup of coffee.
• Tara’s amazing story of how she made the transition from antique importer to working on Harry Connik Jr.’s home in Connecticut, and how the experience of “doing it afraid” opened the door to take on new clients.
• How she went to school for education, worked in apparel, and ended up in antiques.
• What an exponent is, and why personal carvings are so special when shopping for the right antique piece.
• How Tara’s suggestion of purchasing one nice piece a year can really lead to an entire home of beautiful antiques after some time.
• Tara’s real confessions on what she keeps for herself, and how she decides just what items she can’t live without personally.
• Why Tara loves mid-century and how to effortlessly mix different styles of furniture.
• Why she buys mid century and its a good thing to mix with antiquity so it doesn’t feel stale.
• A glimpse into Tara’s process of shopping for antique items and bringing them home for her now sought after container parties.
• Start with one room and an anchor piece. Take a minute to find your voice and be fearless to execute it.
• How her love of canopy beds and hand forging them keeps artisans in New Orleans employed.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Tara Shaw

Soul of the Home

@tarashawdesign

Matthew Carter Interiors

Decorating Dilemma:

We love that you encompass exactly what talk about in this episode - you know what you like and you are fearless about it! This room screams pink and green to Tara, a Palm Beach look that is congruent with the Lily Pulitzer type fabric. It would also look more bespoke if you found trim that you could trim your draperies with, and use a drapery hook with pointy edge rings instead of a clip. Some art that can thread the colors in together would be great, and we love the pink chair.  

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